Author's Notes: Ah, remember how I said it wouldn't take me ten years to update this fic? No? Probably because it's been like ten freaking years. Good one, me. In my defense... Well, I think since I last updated, I wrote a 50k Soul Eater/FMA AU fic (with a deadline), got sucked into Rogue One, found out I was pregnant, moved, had to deal with two different medicaids, and had my soul ripped out by US politics, so yeah, it's been busy. Also, I just really hate writing action and this has ALL the action. Shit gets REAL.

good men don't become legends
find what you love and let it kill you

Riza runs ahead of them, throwing caution to the wind. She can't be for certain how long Roy can last fighting against Berserker's Master on his own in his condition, especially when she has a nasty feeling that the other Mage will know how to dig under Roy's skin. Roy is made of stone, but he can easily be hurt if the person turns him against himself. She knows this all too well.

She needs to get back to him as soon as possible. Even though she is in this War for Winry, she cannot bear the idea of not fighting by Roy's side. She doesn't feel complete without him, like she's missing a piece of herself. She didn't even recognize that until the first night they fought together. Of course, she can't admit this out loud. It sounds too much like a weakness and she knows Edward won't be happy about it, but it's the truth.

"Where is that monster?" Edward growls as they pause to look around.

The park isn't that big, but it's daunting at night, as if the dark magic surrounding Berserker and his Master have corrupted the place. Everywhere they turn, it looks as if demons might pop out of the shadows. It looks like it was a nightmare dreamed into reality. She waves a hand at the two Masters to stay close to one another while she walks ahead of them, an arrow at the ready in her bow. She feels as taut as the string, like she might rupture at any given moment.

"Do you think he went back to give his Master support?" Winry asks.

At the mention of Berserker's Master, Edward's head turns and his eyes lock in the direction of his own Servant, who is battling the other mage. The connection between Edward and Roy is strong, whether they realize it or not. He doesn't even need to think in order to know where Roy is. A sudden explosion of fire erupts above the treeline, causing Winry to bite her lip and Edward to grit his teeth, but the boy says nothing. He did as Roy told him and there is no time to regret it now that they are hunting another Servant.

That's what Riza feels the most. She doesn't have time for this childish yet deadly game. She needs to end… whatever this is with Berserker now.

"I'm disappointed, Berserker!" Riza calls out as she peers through the darkness of the trees. "I thought you would want to fight face-to-face with me instead of playing this hide-and-seek game." Despite the horrified and confused expressions respectively on Winry's and Edward's faces, Riza continues on. She only gets silence from the trees, but she knows he's there, listening, simmering, eager to show her up. "A real man wouldn't do this to me. I thought you were different!"

He's not a real man, of course - he's a monster parading as Heroic Spirit serving in the Holy Grail War - but he has the ego of one. That she can count on.

A loud crash comes from behind and Riza barely rolls out of the way when Berserker crashes down where she was standing just moments ago, his butcher blade larger than ever before. It cracks through the concrete, causing the street to quake, but she gains her balance with ease and aims at him. However, she stops short of gasping when she catches sight of him.

Berserker is… He's not what he used to be. Before, he was shorter than her, though squatter and muscular. Now, he is a behemoth, nearly twice her height, snarling through the nose of his mask. His eyes, the same glowing red, are twice as bright and wide, like he can't close them for all the energy soaring through him. He can wrap one of his hands around her body easily and break her bones just by squeezing.

Edward's exclamation of, "Holy shit," is an understatement.

"Do you like what you see?" Berserker asks as he stands up straight and turns to face her. At least his voice is the same, but it sounds at odd with his image now. He shifts his hefty cleaver to his other hand as he stares her down, rage and want mixing with one another until she can't tell the difference. The stench of his madness is almost overwhelming, rolling off of him in powerful waves that make her grind her teeth. "Who's a real man now? I don't see your precious Flame Alchemist anywhere to save you."

"Berserker," Riza breathes as she plants a foot back behind her, strengthening her stance as best as she can, "what did your Master do to you?"

"What did he do to me?" Berserker cackles and raises his arms in the air. Moonlight beams off of the metal of his weapon while his muscles flex in what looks like a painful, horrible way. "You mean what did he give me! Endless strength, mana to last me for days, life! I can feel the power and magic flowing through me. It's…" He shudders in pleasure. "It's exquisite. If only you could feel it too, my dear, but oh" - he all but giggles - "I can show you. You can feel the power through me."

The way he says it to her, so lovingly, so madly, it sounds extremely horrific.

In another world, she would try to reason with him, but she knows that would be useless. There is no reasoning with a monstrous madman like Berserker; he's beyond any logic or empathy. There is only one way to stop Berserker - and that is to put an end to him. She has to kill him. There is the no other way. Riza takes a deep breath and lets the knowledge seep in and embolden her. She can still feel the power of the Command Seal that Winry used on her the first time she and Berserker clashed. She didn't defeat Berserker then.

She will do what she can to destroy him now.

Berserker lets out a yell and charges towards her, sword held high, his feet thundering against the pavement, but Riza stands her ground even as the world seems to tremble around her. Winry shrieks as Riza steps to the side at the last second, the heavy blade blowing past her by inches so hard that the air blows around her. When it collides with the ground, it sticks and she uses the sword as a stair, stepping onto it like the sharp edges are nothing and spinning to slam her bow into the side of Berserker's head hard enough to make it snap back. He jerks the cleaver up at the same time that she leaps high into the air and releases two arrows, one that he manages to block, the other which grazes his face, piercing through the metal mask like it's water and lodging into the ground.

In a matter of seconds, she's back on the ground as Berserker stumbles backwards and roars in anger and pain, holding the side of his face as black blood spurts out. Even that is corrupted by the dark magic that his Master has imbued him with. She doesn't give him time to recover or a second to pity him, firing off more bright arrows that appear out of thin air whenever she raises her hand to the string. He spins the sword wildly, deflecting the shots, but she rushes him while he defends himself, vaulting over him and then focusing her energy to deliver an impossibly harsh kick to his back that sends him flying into the trees, breaking them with his weight.

Edward whoops in glee, but Riza grits her teeth as she prepares herself for another onslaught. He's young. He doesn't see it yet, but she knows the truth. Berserker is clumsy with such unfamiliar power, but he's much stronger than her. One solid blow could be the end of her and she knows it.

It's not enough. She's not enough. To be honest, she doesn't know if Roy would be in his current state after what Saber did to him.

"So feisty!" Berserker exclaims as he crawls out of the broken trees. "I like it."

"Are you sure?" Riza asks coolly. "You don't seem too pleased."

Berserker chuckles as he hefts his blade over his shoulder. "My dear, I wouldn't be pleased if this was easy. I like it when a girl puts up a fight. And you" - he tilts his head towards her - "I knew you would be my biggest challenge."

Every word wafts over her like slime, making her want to shudder in discomfort. She hates everything that he says and wants more than anything for him to stop, but she knows that he won't. This is part of his game. He enjoys the taunting, the degrading, the fearmongering. It's a part of him as much as his blade is, as his Master is. He's not broken or out of touch; it just is who he is. He feels no guilt. That is what makes him terrifying.

Roy thinks that he himself is a monster, but Riza knows a monster when she sees one. He is nothing like Berserker or his dark mage of a Master.

"But you should know by now," Berserker adds with a laugh as he brings his cleaver up. "Size isn't everything!"

He slashes the cleaver in front of him, too far from her for her to even bother moving, but then a black shadow slices through the air towards her. There's no time for her to move, so she's forced to block it with her bow, hoping against hope that it won't shatter. The blow is tremendous, tossing her at least ten feet back and creating such a heavy shockwave that it knocks Winry and Edward off their feet. Her hands and wrists ache from withstanding the hit, but while the bow vibrates in her grip, it's still intact, shimmering in defiance.

If that black shadow hit her, she isn't so sure that she'd be as well off as her bow.

Berserker doesn't give her any time to recover, bearing down on her as he creates another black shadow with his weapon. All she can do is lift her bow again in defense, but the shock of both the shadow and his blade is enough to cause her to buckle and she cries out as her knee slams hard enough into the ground to break the concrete.

"Riza!" Winry shouts, leaping forward to help, but Riza grits her teeth and shakes her head, causing her Master to stop short. Her blue eyes are wide, filled with mixture of ferocity and fear. She's willing to jump in, even if it means throwing herself in the line of danger, but the idea of Berserker coming in close contact with Winry burns Riza to her core. She won't allow this monster to get anywhere near her. Luckily, Edward has enough sense to drag Winry back, but even he looks ready to fight, despite his Servant not being the one involved.

Roy.

The flames rising in the dark behind her. They're far away, but Riza can feel the heat if she pictures the fire strong enough. Explosions echo around them even now, some big enough to shake the ground below them despite the distance. They give her comfort. If there's still fire, then he's still alive.

Berserker moves to deliver a powerful kick, but Riza bends and pulls her bow down, throwing him off balance and giving her enough time to roll to the side. She slides away from him, on one knee, and takes aim again just as he lets off another shadow. This time, she's ready for him though and fires off a round of arrows in rapid succession. The first arrow, instead of disintegrating when the shadow hits it, explodes in a fiery burst of light, actually cutting through the shadow like it's solid and allowing the three other arrows to shoot forward unimpeached. They pierce Berserker in between his armor right where his arm connects with his body.

The howl of pain that echoes into the air drowns out the clanging sound his sword makes when it hits the ground. He rips the arrows out, his hand sizzling as they burn him, and blood pours out of the wounds, hot and unforgiving. Worse though is the way his arm dangles limply at his side, his fingers twitching with effort. It's not entirely useless, she knows, but it'll be impossible for him to pick up his over-sized weapon now with his dominant hand. The moment he realizes it, he bellows furiously once more.

How do you like me now? Riza thinks harshly, but she doesn't say it out loud. She's not like Roy, who uses words to get into the heads of his competition, or Berserker, who enjoys getting underneath his victim's skins. She doesn't need to speak her thoughts for people to know them; she uses her arrows.

"Oh, you're good," Berserker growls, "better than good!"

"I wouldn't be a very good legend if I wasn't," Riza points out as she stands up straight.

Picking up his weapon with his left hand, Berserker swings it casually in a circle like a fan, as if testing it, and then glances back at her. "But are they?"

The slash of his sword is ugly and short, but it sends another shadowy blast out of it, not towards Riza, but in Winry and Edward's direction. They duck in time, Edward dragging Winry to the ground, and shadow passes over their heads, slicing through the trees behind them. Riza screams wordlessly as she rushes forward and lets off another volley of arrows, not thinking straight, all of which he blocks, but just barely.

When the next shadow rockets towards them, Winry casts a large defensive shield, very similar to the one Roy cast over her to defend her from Saber's surprise attack a few nights ago, but when the shadow collides with hers, it doesn't hold nearly as well. Both magical shield and shadow explode in a mess of smoke and sparks and the two Masters are sent sprawling. All Riza can see is black, hopeless and terrible.

Before Berserker can attack them again, she lets off another arrow, lower this time, so that it digs deep into the meat of his calf. This arrow is different though, as a rope appears attached to the shaft and leads to her hand. As Berserker staggers at the pain, Riza uses her momentum to slide through his legs, twisting the rope around him, and jerks as hard as she can, bringing the monster of a Servant down. He lands with a heavy thud, shaking the ground and causing leaves to fall from the trees.

But it only seems to enrage him further. He roars, more beast than man at this point, and grabs the rope, not even bothering with the arrow still piercing him, and rips it towards him. Not expecting the reaction, Riza did not let go of the rope attached to her arrow in time, and pitches forward. She digs the heel of one of her feet into the ground to try to gain balance, but tears through the concrete before losing it. He snatches her bow in one hand and grasps her body in a firm grip with other, trapping one of her arms at her side, and slams her into the ground, knocking the wind out of her chest as her head bounces against the ground.

Her vision blurs for a moment, but when it comes back, Berserker is leaning over her, smoke coming out of the nostrils of his mask as he breathes, his red eyes glowing manically. She can smell the blood on him, so powerful that it makes her gag. This is death at its worst. It reminds her of the battlefields during the Mage Wars after Roy was put on the frontlines. Though the mask hides his face, she knows that he's leering down at her, so close to her face that she turns her head away involuntarily. Her bow lies far from her reach, having been tossed aside like it is nothing. Every time she wiggles in his grasp, he only squeezes harder and she gasps in an attempt to breathe.

"I've wanted to hold you since the moment I saw you," Berserker tells her in a fevered whisper.

She only growls furiously in response. This is not holding. She thinks of waking up in Roy's arms at Ed's house, just a few days ago - the warmth of his body, the gentleness of his touch, the comforting sound of his beating heart next to hers. That was holding. Something so delicate and intimate yet stronger than anything in the world. This is a twisted abomination, a reflection of what Berserker truly is.

Berserker chuckles. "Oh, my dear, what is an archer without her bow?"

"An arrow," Riza snarls, "straight and true."

As if a reaction to her words, a golden arrow of light materializes in her free hand and she jams it hard and deep into one of the eye sockets of Berserker's mask. There's a terrible sizzling sound as steam spills out from arrowed the embedded arrow and he yowls, letting go of her and stumbling backwards as he attempt to jerk it out. She gasps, sucking in air greedily, and tries to scramble in the direction of her bow, but he sweeps out a hand wildly and nearly takes her out by accident.

Blocked from retrieving her bow, she moves to stand in front of Winry and Edward, protecting them, when Berserker pulls out the arrow and throws it into the trees. Blood spills out of the socket, staining his mask with black streaks. Two more arrows appear in her hands and she spins them around, wielding them like daggers. The two Masters also take fighting positions, even if they are terrified of fighting a very furious and deranged Servant.

"I will enjoy cutting you in half!" Berserker exclaims, picking his weapon up with his good hand, the one that held her down.

Riza readies herself, even as her ribs ache horribly in protest. At least two of them are broken, possibly three, snapped in Berserker's crushing grip. But she won't give up and neither will Winry or Edward. They can't. If they do, all is lost. It is her sacred duty to put down monsters like Berserker, not just to protect and serve her Master in this War. What kind of Heroic Spirit would she be if she lost sight of what made her one in the first place? No, she will fight until there is nothing left in her and then she will fight more.

"If he pins me down again, run," Riza tells the two children behind her. Because that's what they are. Yes, they are mages in their own right and they are Masters in the Holy Grail War, but they are children and this is her fight to bear, win or lose.

Edward scoffs. "Like hell-"

"You cannot win the War if you are dead!" Riza snaps, not looking back at either of them. "Do not argue with me!"

Despite the fact that Edward's natural reaction to everything is to argue, he does not speak a word and she knows that he will heed her words. Winry is burning silently behind her, determined to fight until the end. And this very well could be for the two of them. Riza is weak. She's injured and left with only her bones to fight with. Still, she's not afraid.

Some might say that she is born to die in battle.

And then, somewhere above them, five daggers pierce the ground in a perfect circle surrounding Berserker, each knife standing up straight, the hilts pointing home to the sky. Before anyone can process what is happening, blue lightning crackles around Berserker, connecting with the daggers, before shooting up and electrocuting the large Servant in a brilliant fashion. Riza has to throw an arm over her eyes to shield herself from the light, only catching glimpses of Berserker twitching violently until the light dies down and he collapses to his knees, smoking and charred like a piece of meat.

"Wow, that looked extraordinarily painful!" a familiar voice cheers from the side.

Riza blinks in shock when she recognizes Lancer of all people, lazily swinging a sword with one hand while he leans against the other, its tip gleaming against the concrete. His Master, looking so small next to him, has both of her hands raised, five daggers carefully held between her fingers in each of them. She threw the knives. They came for her.

No, they came for Berserker and his Master. However little and young she is, more so than Ed and Winry, she's an incredibly powerful mage, strong enough to find Roy through all his tricks. She too must've felt whatever Berserker's Master was doing and couldn't ignore it.

"You have lousy timing!" Edward yells, his face already getting red with aggravation. Lancer really knows how to get under his skin.

Indeed, the other Servant looks positively gleeful when he responds, "I don't know. It looks like excellent timing to me." He cocks his head towards Berserker, who is trying to pull himself to his feet, somehow swelling up even further through his pain and rage. "Nasty fellow, isn't he?"

"What are you doing here, Lancer?" Riza demands. She can't fight them both. While Berserker is clearly more injured than her, she doesn't know what his Master might've done to him. It looks as if the more pain he's in, the bigger he gets, his anger causing him to get stronger. He will burn out faster like this, but not before he crushes her like a bug if he gets a hold of her. Meanwhile, Lancer is fresh, uninjured, and has a Master that seems quite capable in battle herself. Riza knows terrible odds when she sees them.

Lancer shrugs. "It was rude of me to ambush you like that with Saber. I wasn't expecting Assassin to show up too." That can't be it. Another explosion behind them, this one with flames rising high and close enough for them to feel the heat, drags his Master's attention away and she zeroes in on them like they're a target. "And a few people aren't playing by the rules. It's time to take out the trash, don't you think?"

"Finish Berserker," his Master orders, her voice high and childish. It's a stark contrast with the intense look on her face. This is a child that has seen and been through more than most three times her age. "I will deal with the mage."

"Not on my watch," Edward growls, stepping forward.

The little girl fixes him with a sharp, reprimanding look that causes him to actually halt and blink. "I am not about to fight Caster on my own, you short-minded idiot."

Edward sputters. "Who are you calling short?"

"That's what you take offense to?" Winry mutters.

"Pleasant, isn't she?" Lancer says cheekily.

To the side, Berserker begins to huff as he straightens up. His clothes tear as his muscles bulge out, dark veins twisting like veins up his ashy skin. The arm that he damaged seems to be working again as he picks up his large cleaver with both hands, either because of the mana of so many innocent victims coursing through him or because of the adrenaline. He has handled pain far better than expected, almost ignoring every wound after it is inflicted. What did his Master do to him?

"Lancer," his Master says warningly, and that's all she has to say.

The Servant nods his head and kicks the flat of the sword he was leaning on. It spins in the air before he catches it and crashes the hilts of each of his swords together. There is a flurry of sparks and then he pulls, revealing a dual-edged lance in his hands instead of two separate blades. He twirls it in a whirlwind circle before it snaps into place in one hand and he crouches down in a pounce. "Are you ready to end this, Archer?"

Riza hasn't fought alongside anyone except for Roy in a long time, but for a brief moment, Lancer reminds her of Havoc, one of the two people in the camp to know her secret during the Mage Wars, probably the only man she ever trusted before Roy. Laughing and joking one minute, serious and deadly in the next. She can work with that.

For the first time in this war, Riza smiles, but there is no warmth in it. "With pleasure."

When Berserker raises his weapon and charges towards Lancer, the smaller Servant leaps gracefully out of the way. As Lancer seemingly taunts Berserker, filled with so much more speed and agility than Berserker and Riza combined, Riza takes the opportunity to snatch up her bow again. The second it's in her hands, she feels a pleasant hum vibrate her, as if the bow is as happy as her to be reunited. She catches a glimpse of Lancer's little Master tearing through the woods towards Roy and Berserker's Master and then Edward's hesitation.

"Go," Riza tells him.

Edward frowns. "But he said-"

"Never mind what he said," Riza interrupts him, far gentler than what the situation calls for. It's what Edward needs though - reassurance yet firmness. He's a mage, but he's younger than he realizes. Even Roy was hesitant at his age, despite his obvious strength and natural talents. "You're the Master, are you not?"

Her words go through Edward like a shock to the system. He jerks upright and a hardened expression falls over his face. He takes a breath and follows after the girl while Winry stays behind with her. Yes, he is the Master and Roy is the Servant. She knows how much Roy hates that - how he hates to be under the control of anyone that isn't himself - but it's the truth. He must accept it if he's going to win this War. Riza did so immediately, but then, she has always been good at following.

Now that it's two against one, the fight changes drastically. Even with Berserker amped up by his Master's dark magic and the stolen mana and od from their victims, he's hurt and acting out impulsively. Lancer remains uninjured and bolstered by his Master. He's simply too quick for Berserker to even come close. It looks to Riza as if the young-looking Servant is actually toying with Berserker, spinning around him, knicking him here and there with his blades, leaping over him, all with a small but serious smile on his face.

With him distracted by Lancer, Riza is able to take aim and her arrows dig in the back of his knees, causing him to buckle once more. Berserker swings out wildly, narrowly missing Lancer who dodges it, but Riza can tell he could've moved faster if he wanted to. He's playing . It's a different sort of playing than Berserker's madness. It's taunting and cold. Lancer knows that he's better and wants Berserker to know it too, wants to drive him further into his insanity. It makes him even more reckless and prone to stupid mistakes in the fight.

"Come on now!" Lancer taunts. "Show me that heroic spirit of yours!"

Berserker is beyond words now, merely bellowing like a beast, and slashes his weapon in the air. The black shadow is larger than before, racing towards them with a vicious speed. Riza ducks under it while Lancer leaps over it and lands gracefully on a tree branch.

"Now that's more like it!" he exclaims. Another black shadow cuts the tree he's perched in down, but he jumps from the branch and actually lands on Berserker's shoulders before vaulting off and slicing his lance up so that the blade cuts a line up Berserker's back.

Just when Riza thinks that Berserker is close to being done, bent over his sword on his knees, something foul and dark ripples in the air around them, causing both Lancer and her to pull back. It's… She doesn't know how to describe it, except that everything in the air feels wrong, slightly out of order. If she was a mage, she might be able to describe it better, but neither she nor Lancer know much about magic. That's Roy's area of expertise. Winry, for all her talents, is still learning.

Black shadows burst out of Berserker's back, at first flailing around like tentacles, reminding her of Assassin's shadows. They're not the same though, not as solid or controllable. It's ugly and wrong. When he stands up though, there is a bright light surrounding his weapon and Riza's breath hitches in her chest. It's the same light that nearly took them out in the car. Can he pull off a Noble Phantasm again in this state so soon? It doesn't matter; they can't risk it.

Berserker leaps high in the hair, the black shadows now flapping like shapeless wings, raising his cleaver up high above his head. Lancer digs his feet in and bursts forward in a blur, jumping up in the air so suddenly that it forms a perfect ninety degree angle. The two Servants rise in the air, Berserker's weapon glowing brightly, a horrible contrast to the darkness surrounding him, and the skin on Lancer's arms and skins turning a coal black.

Riza doesn't give out a warning. She raises her bow, aims true, and shoots. The arrow shoots off like a rocket into the dark sky, speeding towards them in a deadly line, light streaking behind it. Right before it hits Lancer, he snatches it out of the air with his bare hand without looking, just as he did the last time they met. He smiles grimly just as Berserker begins to bring his weapon down and jams it through Berserker's chest. The arrow, imbued with magic, pierces through the metal like it's cloth.

Lancer kicks off of Berserker as the other Servant drops his weapon uselessly and struggles to pull the arrow out of his chest. It does no good. When the two land, Lancer on his feet and Berserker on his back, the aftershock of the crash is so powerful that it nearly blows Riza off balance. Luckily, she positioned herself in front of Winry so that Riza herself takes most of the blow and the two of them stay on their feet. Berserker claws at his chest, but the arrow sinks in further. Light begins to peek out from the weeping wounds on his body until he is heaving, his body jerking and twitching in an ugly manner.

Turning quickly, Riza throws her arms around Winry, pulling the young girl into her chest and using her body as a shield. The light burns Berserker from the inside out until all the darkness surrounding him is eaten away and he lets out a pained, almost frightened cry the second before light explodes out of his body, turning the world white for a moment. It burns hot, but not painfully so, not to Riza at least. It's her light, after all, that burned every last bit of corruption out of his body and destroyed him.

When the light dies down, Riza slowly lets go of Winry and surveys the area. There is nothing left of Berserker except for the shimmering remains of his spirit dissolving in the air. Lancer scratches the back of his head as he examines the area with a hint of curiosity, his lance propped up at his side. His skin, she notes, is back to normal, his fingers back to normal. Her arrow didn't burn him this time when his skin was changed. That's both peculiar and dangerous.

"I would've killed for some fireworks like that back in my day," Lancer says thoughtfully.

However, before Riza can think to thank him or return to Roy, the ground begins to shake again. This time, it's more like an earthquake. All of them throw out their hands to balance themselves, though Lancer seems to ride the rumble easily. When stone walls begin to erupt around them though, trapping them, even he looks wary and ready to take flight. Winry runs to one of the walls, pressing her hands against it, but pulls her hands back and shakes her head.

A woman steps out of the shadows, the same Master that threatened them at the temple where the Holy Grail would be summoned. It feels like a lifetime ago, but it couldn't have been two weeks. So much has happened since then. Riza feels like another person; she feels centuries older. More tired, as well. She remembers the size and strength of the cold woman's Servant; he hadn't needed to be bolstered by dark magic to get there.

"I wouldn't bother," she says callously. "I strengthened those walls myself. They're impenetrable."

Lancer considers them for a second, looking decidedly unimpressed, but his hands twitch as he folds his arms across his chest. That's when Riza realizes it: he's not looking at the wall itself, but in the direction of his Master, who he is blocked off from. Everyone else is with their Masters. They're all protective of their Masters, as they are their Servants, but Lancer seems especially so with his. She's so young and innocent-looking.

"Thank you for getting rid of Berserker," the woman tells them, not sounding a bit gracious. "I've never liked dealing with the trash myself." She snaps her fingers and her Servant appears, his bare, muscled chest almost sparkling in the moonlight. This causes Lancer to raise an eyebrow finally. "But it's time to thin the competition. Rider!"

The large man slams his fists together, his stone gloves sparking, and flexes his muscles. It's a show, both strange and intimidating. He's built not unlike Berserker was when corrupted with magic, but this is all Rider. One direct hit from him would knock any of them out. In her weakened state, Riza knows that she won't be able to take him on; her best bet is to escape, but she can't leave Winry behind either.

"If I were you, Lancer," the woman says, "I would return to your Master. Who knows what might happen to her while pinned against Caster and Berserker's Master? They're both murderers."

She smiles, the kind of smile that says she knows she's right. It's probably what Lancer is thinking right now. The Flame Alchemist was not known for his kindness during the Mage Wars; he was known for ridding himself of any obstacle that stood in his way of victory. Lancer's little Master is one of those obstacles now. And Riza is one of Lancer's. She's wounded. Having helped her take care of Berserker, whatever debt he may have felt towards her was now paid in full. He could leave Riza to be cast down and it would be of no harm to him or his conscience.

This was War. There could only be one victor.

In the end, Lancer doesn't have to make a decision. A loud explosion rocks them, Riza once again using her body to shield Winry as rocks pelt her. The woman throws up a shield, somewhat carelessly, but it defends her well as Rider knocks any debris aside with his fists. Lancer dodges the bits of stone flying towards him.

When Riza looks up, she has to refrain from gasping. There is Roy, dust settling around him, standing in a hole she knows he created in the wall. That's not what causes her heart to leap in her throat. Blood slicks the side of his face, along with sweat and dirt, and there are cuts in his robes. Even worse is the cold look in his eyes. She knows, somehow, that he gave up a part of himself to get here. He was hurt before they came to this battle. She can only imagine what pain has been inflicted upon him now.

Edward stands behind him, looking both fierce and somewhat dazed. He remains uninjured, but there is a strangely unsettled look in his golden eyes. It doesn't fit his normal, steadfast demeanor. Lancer's little Master darts in between them and rushes to Lancer's side. It almost looks as if he stops himself from picking her up, but instead moves to stand slightly in front of her. He lets her briefly touch his wrist and stills himself.

"Impenetrable, you say?" Lancer queries, cocky even now.

Roy gazes at the wall dispassionately, even more unimpressed than Lancer. "Amature magic, at best."

Rider's Master snarls like a wolf. "You're weak, Caster. I could kill you myself."

"And you're alone," Roy counters. Even now, Riza wants to join his side, but she keeps herself in front of Winry as Roy steps forward. Edward does not follow him, but instead returns to Winry and Riza. It makes Roy look like a man fighting an army by himself.

"Oh?" the woman says. "You think so?"

"Assassin is a terrible ally," Roy tells her. "You're partners now, but only until you're no longer useful."

Out of nowhere - no, out of shadows that appear in thin air, a trick of the eyes - Assassin appears. He looks comically small standing next to Rider, nothing more than a mere schoolboy. He's the same height as Lancer's Master, but somehow manages to look even more childish than her. His eyes though - those are not the eyes of a child. They're the eyes of a cold-blooded killer.

"The same could be said of you," Assassin points out in his boyish voice. He smiles, a child's smile, a murderer's smile. It's jarring. "How long before you tire of the boy, hm?"

Edward stiffens, but says nothing. Neither does Roy for that matter. He doesn't react at all, which speaks volumes to her. She knows what that means and it's an uncomfortable thought. He's been thinking of how to get out. The leash tugging on his collar, the Command signals on Edward's hands, must burn and itch. It's too dangerous though. A untethered Servant could do serious damage on the world, even someone like Roy whose intentions are good. Were good.

"Berserker has been defeated," Assassin notes. "Where is his Master? They can still be a problem in this War, even without a Servant."

"Dead," is all Roy says in a flat voice and a cold chill runs down Riza's spine. That is not the voice of the man she fell in love with. Is this who he became after she died? Was it a part of him all along and she was just blind to it?

Assassin chuckles, but there is a pleased look on his face. It's what he would've done. Best take a Master out of the equation completely. There is something else to it though. "You're progressing along nicely, Caster, faster than I expected. Father will be happy."

"Spare me with bullshit about your Master," Roy snaps. "I've got a Master already; I don't need another."

"Do you really think you're in the position to fight this?" Rider's Master questions.

"Yes," Roy says in a quiet, dangerous tone. There's a fire in his eyes now, one that Riza doesn't recognize. It's feverish, manic, vaguely reminding her of Berserker, which catches her off guard. What is this? "I could kill you. I could end you all right now."

A sharp look passes between Assassin and Rider's Master. It almost looks like they're wary. Roy ended the Mage Wars. Roy broke the enemy single-handedly. How? If he was strong enough to do it then, why didn't he do it before when she was alive? What did he do? What did he become?

I have plenty of blood on my hands as it is, the memory of Roy's voice whispers in her mind. A little more won't hurt.

Rider steps forward first. "Flame Alchemist-"

Roy cuts him off with a fireball, which Rider actually punches, the flames dissipating around him. "I am tired!" Another fireball. "I am sick of this!" And then another and another, each one stronger than the last, until Rider can no longer uses his fists and is forced to bring up a wall shielding him, which causes Roy to snarl and make an ugly cut his hand in the air in front of him. A line of fire, so precise and thin like a knife, cuts the stone wall in half like it's nothing. "I don't care who you are. You know who I am and I will end this!"

She sees it happen before it does. The scene plays out in her mind in a flash, but it feels like a lifetime, like it's already happened. And it has. But centuries ago, back in their time. Roy, at the end of things, lost in darkness, rage curling around him and allowing nothing else in, terrifying and incredible and awful. He ended things then and he will end things now. Brought back into the world by the Holy Grail, who knows what he is capable of? Who knows of how powerful he actually is?

He will end this, just as he says, but the price is too much.

Fire swirls around them, licking the air hungrily, lashing out at them. All of the other Servants prepare their defenses. Shadows twist around Assassin, but they're almost burned out by the light of Roy's flames. Rider's Master shields herself as Rider stands in front of her. Black skin creeps up over Lancer's body until he is completely covered, even his face, making him look like a creature; he bends over his Master and wraps his arms around her, shielding her with his body and leaving himself entirely exposed.

The flames are too much for Riza even. She can barely see in the flames, barely stand the heat of them. It feels like she's cooking in her armor. All she can see is Roy, looking terrible and beautiful. This is him. This is his magic. It's a thing of wonder but also of terror.

Fire is death as much as it is life and he is fire.

Tears pricking her eyes, whether because of the brightness and heat of the flames or something else, Riza raises her bow and aims an arrow - but not at the enemy. Instead, she points it directly at Roy, at the man she loves, but it's not him. This isn't him. It can't be. "Stop!" she shouts. She will shoot him. She has that right - she has always had that right since he first appointed her the Captain of the Old Guard. If he was to ever lose control, she was to put him down. She doesn't want to - every fiber in her screams against it and for the first time she trembles while taking aim - but she will. For him. "Roy, STOP!"

It's only a second, but when Roy doesn't look back at her, she knows. Her heart shatters.

He won't stop.

Please, something in her begs as she stares at him through tears, but the word won't come out. The flames burn it away. Please.

"Caster!" Edward screams from behind. He's lost in the fire, standing somewhere in the middle between Riza and Roy. "Stand down!" For a moment, the fires flicker and Riza can see. Roy is still focused on Assassin and Rider, but his jaw tightens as he tries to ignore Edward. "I said, stand DOWN!" Even now, Roy won't look at him, but his rigid body begins to shake as he fights. Sweat beads across Edward's face, but he doesn't stop. He raises a hand, the Command Signals glowing against his skin. "I am your Master, and you will listen to me, Caster !"

A gush of air explodes around them. Riza can't tell if it's from the Command Signal or from Roy that causes the flames to be blown out, but they disappear in the wind. Roy gasps like it's been ages since he last breathed and collapses to his knees, bleeding hands clutched to his chest. He doubles over, nearly toppling, but manages to hold himself up, trembling with effort. Riza remembers the feeling of a Command Signal being used on her; it was strange and overpowering, but it hadn't been painful. Then again, she did not fight it like Roy did.

When she looks around, Riza is relieved to find that Assassin, Rider, and his Master are all gone. Likely, they left as soon as the flames vanished, deciding to make an attempt another time. Riza isn't certain why. They are practically defenseless now. Perhaps, whatever schemes they concocted for Roy, they can not use him broken like this in such a way. To be honest, Riza doesn't know what to think of him now. She isn't afraid of him - she could never be - but this is… This is painfully visceral.

All of them are standing silently in shock, even Lancer, who slowly returns to normal with the exception of his hands. Edward is huffing and glaring as furiously as Roy's flames, a look of contempt covering his face. Winry likely doesn't know what to say. She's been so hopeful this entire time. To see Roy like this, a Heroic Spirit on their side, is very unsettling.

Without warning, Lancer's Master strides towards Roy - and then slaps him across his face.

Everyone jerks in response. Edward jumps, the contempt leaving immediately, while Winry squeaks and Lancer actually chokes. He rushes forward, ready to sweep her out of Roy's reach, but she holds out a hand and stops him cold. Roy blinks in surprise, his gaze meandering until it finally settles on the girl's face and the realization that a child hit him washes over him.

" You ," the little Master seethes, simmering with disappointment, "you know better than this. You are better than this! I did not grow up hearing stories of the Flame Alchemist's magic to see a man who is not worthy of wielding his own power." She doesn't strike him again, but her words are like a slap in the face. Roy actually recoils. In a way, this young mage reminds Riza of back when Roy was her father's apprentice and learning magic. It feels as if she's scolding him like a teacher would. "You would sink to their level? You would throw yourself into the pit?"

Roy rubs his face with a shaky hand, accidentally smearing blood across it. "I…"

"Do you know what is in that darkness?" she demands and then throws her hands in the air. "Nothing! There is nothing! If you go there, even if you win this War, the Holy Grail will only see darkness and will give you nothing in return. It can only give you what you are made of! Is that what you want?"

He scowls at her, looking more like himself, boyish even with his years on her. "No, it's not."

"Then act like the mage I was told you are," she tells him, voice filled with disgust, before turning away from him and stomping back over to Lancer's side. Her Servant looks torn between horror and amusement. Edward looks plain perplexed.

Gathering his Master in his arm, Lancer tips his lance to them. "I'll, ah, leave you to discuss things." Instead of using the hole that Roy created earlier, he scales up the wall with ease. Impenetrable or not by anyone besides Roy, Lancer was never in fear of being trapped by the walls Rider created. They weren't closed off at the top.

Riza turns back to Roy, more hesitant than she has ever felt towards him. Edward won't go anywhere closer to him. She can see the two mages closing themselves off from one another and it hurts her soul. Edward turns and stomps away while Roy sighs and hangs his head, his entire body going limp in defeat. After nodding to Winry, she watches her Master follow after Edward and then Riza tentatively makes her way towards Roy.

She almost shot him, she recalls dizzily. She almost killed him.

When she reaches him, Riza hesitates, but then reaches out to put a hand on Roy's shoulder. Immediately, he leans into her touch, turning his head so that his cheek presses against her. He's warmer than ever before, like his fire was burning him from the inside as her arrow had done to Berserker. His hands clench into fists on his thighs as he tries to steady his breathing, like he wants to cry but refuses to do so. She wishes he would. It's not healthy to hold everything in, as he has done for all his life. It comes out in the worst of ways.

"I thought I lost you," Riza tells him.

"You did," Roy sighs, "for a moment."

It hurts them both for him to admit such a thing. It's a weakness. She doesn't want to admit that Roy is capable of losing himself, as he's always been so strong in her eyes, but with power as great as his, it's all too tempting to let the magic take over. It has a lure of its own that she has never understood or felt. As strong of a mage as he is, it's only worse for him. Magic takes its toll on the users in different ways. She wishes she could help him. She thought she could before, but now… Now she isn't so sure. Maybe the Holy Grail twisted them in some way, took their greatest strengths and weaknesses and transformed them into something else, as they were made stronger.

"Maybe it's a good thing then - to have a Master," Roy says. "Maybe I need to be leashed."

"Not leashed," Riza says gently, bending down to his level, "tethered."

Roy opens his eyes and peers at her blearily. "It used to be you."

"This War has changed many things," Riza replies. Her hand slides down from his shoulder to his hands. She can tell it hurts him to grasp her hand, but he does so anyways. She ignores the heat of his wet blood coating her palm. "But I can still be that to you. Perhaps you just need more. We're not really human, are we?"

"No," Roy says, "we aren't."

Not monsters, but not human either. They are something else. Heroic Spirits. Legends in the flesh. It's surreal to think of it so plainly. And they thought they could live normally in the moments in between.

"What do we do now?" Roy asks her.

"We go home," Riza answers. It's not nearly a good enough response, but it's all she has. Every inch of her body aches, mind and soul alike. She needs to rest. Roy looks fit to topple over. She's not sure how long he can manage before returning into his incorporeal state.

Still, he nods his head and gets to his feet without much help from her. Maybe his exhaustion is more mental than physical, although his body is certainly wounded enough. The two of them walk through the park in silence, their arms around each other as they help one another move forward. With each step, Riza can't help but feel all the sharp pains in her body.

By the time they make it back to the car, Winry and Edward are already inside, sitting on opposite sides and not looking at one another. The sight cuts Riza slightly. She helps Roy inside and gets in herself. The car ride is surreal in itself after everything they went through. It's jarringly normal. Tense silence permeates the car, but Riza is too tired to do anything else but focus on the road. She thinks of Alphonse waiting for their return and how he'll get into a frenzy over their injuries.

Home. When did the little house begin to feel like that to her? When was the last time she ever felt it?

The lights are off in the house when they pull into the driveway. All of them are battered from the fight, broken and bone tired. It's dark and Riza has just enough awareness in her to keep a lookout as they shuffle inside. Roy nearly stumbles when he walks through the doorway, but catches himself with Winry's help. He pulls away from her quickly after a sharp look from Edward and then waits for Riza to come inside.

"Al?" Edward calls out. So normal, so simple. To fight in war and then come home right after. It doesn't feel right. She never got to return home during the Mage Wars. She died before that could happen - before she could make a place feel like home with Roy, as he promised they would. "Al, we're back!"

"Sh, he could be asleep," Winry hisses, nudging him in the side.

"Al is a worrywort," Ed snaps, but without any heat. He's too tired. "He wouldn't just fall asleep." He moves around the house, flicking on lights, and calls out again. "Al!"

No response. It's eerily quiet. The only sound in the house comes from then. Despite her exhaustion, Riza feels an uneasiness building inside of her again. They all begin to search the house in earnest now, feet dragging, voices calling out for the younger Elric, but there is nothing but themselves. It's too late for him to have gone out and it was too dangerous besides. The house was the safest place to stay due to all the protective enchantments surrounding it.

Riza steps outside into the backyard the moment Edward freezes. He's standing unnaturally still, like he's ready to pitch forward over a cliff even though he's standing on flat ground. The small garden that Alphonse tends to carefully is in front of him. His face is milky white and his eyes are wide with fear. She's never seen him look so openly afraid before, not even when Roy almost lost control just an hour ago. When Riza reaches him, she sees what stopped Edward cold and her mind comes to a screeching halt.

Alphonse's wheelchair, turned over and still, trampling the garden.

Having noticed their absence from inside the house, Roy walks up to them. "What are you-?" He also freezes when he spots the wheelchair. Winry gasps, having appeared after him, and presses both of her hands to her mouth. It's one thing to know that innocent people are being involved in the War; it's another to know that specific person, to care for them, to love them.

Besides this War, Alphonse is all that Edward has.

Slowly, Roy bends down and picks up a piece of paper that Riza didn't notice lying on the wheelchair. She was too busy staring at the object. It looks wrong unoccupied by Alphonse, like it doesn't belong. Whatever is on the paper causes Roy's eyes to narrow and he nearly burns it in his hands. Instead he thrusts it out in disgust and she takes it from him, watching as he stalks away to the corner under a tree, one hand worrying at the bottom of his face as the other clenches and unclenches in barely checked rage.

Riza glances down at the paper and feels her blood turn to ice in her veins.

Return what is mine and I will return what is yours.

It doesn't take a genius to immediately who this note is from and what it means. A ransom note from Assassin's mysterious Master, Father: Roy in exchange for Alphonse.

Edward snatches the paper out of her hands, staring down at it like it will tell him exactly where Alphonse is. When Winry moves to comfort him, he shrugs away from her, throws the note to the ground, and storms inside. It's his brother. Edward thought he would do anything to win this War, but allow his brother to come to harm or be sacrificed…

It's too much. This War asks too much of them all.

Riza glances at Roy. She thought she knew what he was capable of. She isn't so sure after tonight. Winry takes her hand and Riza looks down at her, trying to appear reassuring but knowing that nothing she can say or do right now will be of use. The helpless look on Winry's face almost causes her to buckle. She thinks of how she almost shot Roy, how she helped kill Berserker, of the empty wheelchair. She isn't sure of what she's capable of anymore.