A/N: FIRST ACTUAL CHAPTER GUUUYYYYYSSSS!

MissiB: I love Seaver too. ^.^ She's so fun to write. And very nice sum-up by the way. Yep, there's lots of stuff that's at the boiling point, and the events of this chapter is the lighting of the fuse. :3

AiJay: MAIN ARC YUSSSSSS!

Digi-fanCapp: Thanks! XP Fluff's all over now, I'd say.

Kasani: Oh, that's always fun. Smothering laughter while the rest of the house is asleep. And YAY, I was wondering if anyone else would comment on Ender's horse. XP Sinister just seemed such an appropriate name, especially for him... simple, yet fitting and intimidating. Now, with this, the first chapter, LET THE PAIN BEGIN. *evil laugh*

Thank you ALL who reviewed, faved, and followed! I love getting feedback from you guys, knowing how you're liking the installments. It's motivating! So, please, review and let me know what you think of this one!

Love you guys, and God bless!

~Penelope

P.S. The final ages here are Lucia: 20, Gredian: 19, Ender: 17, Sorin: 15, Glundil: 14 and a quarter, and Seaver: 13.

Chapter One - Forgotten Flood

Gredian sat straight up with a sharp yell, the blankets pooling around his waist until he tossed them aside to search his bare abdomen through the pitch darkness of the elder two princes' shared chambers. He could still feel the strange vacuum, the sinking in his gut, the horrid feeling of being drained from Ling's body bit by bit, on his way to being reabsorbed by Father.

He died. He died, he sacrificed himself for the others. But… he already knew that… didn't he? Yes, he did. The confusion of sleep was beginning to fall away, and with the clarity came a mild, irksome headache. He raised his hand to rub his forehead, trying to ward the throbbing away. It was over. Father was gone. And Aslan had rescued them all. There was nothing to fear. Not anymore.

With a sigh, Gredian groped for the blankets again, drawing them close. A noise from the bed across the room caught his attention and he turned, narrowing his sharp eyes to see through the shadows to Ender, who he could see was curled up in a fetal position under his own covers, the one hand he could see twisting the surface of the pillow in a fist.

He was having another nightmare.

Gredian sighed again, wearily this time. As annoying a little twerp as the third-youngest heir could be, he never wished bad on him. Granted, he didn't act like it most of the time, but emotion wasn't his thing. That didn't mean he liked seeing Ender suffer through night terrors.

What did he dream about? Gredian wondered this countless times, but of course, Ender would never tell. The kid hated getting called out, especially with things he considered weakness, like being afraid of "stupid dreams".

Ender wasn't the only one who had nightmares, though. Gredian certainly knew how it felt. Though, his dreams were probably pretty different, considering that he had all his memories and Ender didn't.

Wait.

Today.

It was Ender's birthday.

He was seventeen.

No… Gredian dropped the blankets to the side again, staring across the space between him and his brother. It can't be… Not already.

Had it… had it really…?

What time was it? He peered over toward the bay windows, through which he could see the top of the castle wall, the tips of trees beyond, and the sun going from black to navy, and lightening by the minute.

Ender gave a choked cry and jerked, drawing Gredian's attention back to him, a frown creasing his brow. The younger prince had uncurled, back arching, fingers curling, face twisted in what appeared to be agony. Gredian swiveled his feet to the cold floor and stood. With shuffling steps, he made his way to his brother's bedside. Trepidation swelled in his chest; what if…?

Flames. Flames everywhere. His eyes, his eyes were gone, and yet tears streamed down the burned flesh of his face, stinging, burning, he was burning, the fire was eating him alive!

Mustang just wouldn't stop. He couldn't even stand anymore, and soon, even his screams were silent. His vocal cords couldn't even get the chance to heal. His skin, his muscle bubbled, charred, melted, his bones, he could feel the heat in his bones! Mere words couldn't describe the sheer and utter pain he felt. He began to wonder if he'd ever not been in agony, if Mustang's flames had always covered him. Perhaps those times of escaping the pain, the judgment, were all nothing more than happy, painless dreams.

For these flames refused to die. They would not stop until they reduced him to a pile of dust and ashes. All for what he'd done, what he'd been ordered to do, what he'd executed so perfectly. Hughes, that phone box, that picture that fell out with oh-so-perfect timing to give him the most brilliant way to throw his target off. Such a perfect family… It had been his pleasure to destroy it.

And now he was paying for it. The flames were upon him, the flames of his own hatred turned back upon himself. The flames of bitterness, flames of judgment. Flames of death.

Flames of vengeance.

Ender screamed.

Gredian braced one knee on the edge of the bed and shook his brother's shoulder. Ender's nightshirt was drenched with sweat. "Ender! Hey, wake up before you wake the whole castle!"

It didn't seem to break through, and Ender even fought his hold, swinging his arms out recklessly in his sleep, struggling against whatever dream-monster his nightmare had concocted. Stifling an irritated growl at being slugged, Gredian contemplated slapping the kid, but figured he'd save that for a last resort. Instead, he trapped Ender's wrists with one hand and shook him harder with the other.

"Ender, it's just a dream! Get up!"

Violet eyes snapped open, wide with panic. They darted this way and that for a few seconds before they settled and focused on Gredian. The elder brother looked for the brief flicker of relief that always came before Ender fell back on the whole miffed-at-you-for-breathing act, like he always did when Gredian woke him from the dreams.

He certainly didn't expect the smaller boy to launch himself up at him, expression dark with pure rage, eyes wild. They crashed to the floor, Ender with the upper hand, one knee jamming hard against Gredian's ribs while his hands groped for his throat. Adrenaline kicking in, Gredian knocked the deadly hands away and bucked Ender off, using the aid of his forearms as levers to send him over his head to sprawl spread-eagle on the floor. While Ender was recovering, Gredian sprung to his feet, took a few hesitant steps backwards, catching his breath. Then he fought the urge to roll his eyes, and casually brushed off his pants.

"Well, that was exciting, but was it really necessary?" He shook his head with closed eyes. When he looked back to Ender, however, the raw fury on the olive-haired teenager made him somber up.

Ender sucked in a few more ragged breaths, dragging himself to his feet slowly, never taking his sharp eyes off Gredian. Then he lowered his head, glaring at him over the ridge of his brow. "Greed."

Sh-!

"I think playtime's over," Ender continued in a growl, "and now you're gonna tell me what the h*** is going on!"

Longing. A longing, an insatiable longing, wanting, wishing for… what? Something…

Humanity.

Yes, that was what it was. For all her cold cruelty that she displayed to the humans, she longed to feel. To love. To be loved. Truly loved. Oh, she could play along with Father's familial fantasies, but she empathized with Envy on a deep level.

Yet while Envy blinded himself to his own secret wish, deeming it weak, she could only entertain the ridiculous notion in her times alone. Of course, it would never happen. It was inconceivable. She was a homunculus; that was that. It was no use pretending that it would ever change. Still, it was a nice thought.

So she did as Father told her. Told them.

And in the end… she burned.

Lucia sat up in her large, overstuffed bed, clutching the thick comforter against her chest. When the fog of slumber dissipated with haste, everything – almost everything – clicked in her mind.

Who she was. What she was. What she had been. And where she was now.

What she didn't know with the self-same clarity was why and how. Why was she here? Why had this happened? How had she survived? More importantly, why had it taken so long for her to remember?

Her bedroom door swung in, startling her into raising her head. Through the dim morning light – the sun hadn't even crested over the hills yet – she could make out Glundil's form in her doorway.

Gluttony. His name is Gluttony.

"Lucia?" His voice, in the middle of the change of adolescence, was cottony and coarse and quiet. Frightened. Scared.

"Lust… Lust…"

"Can I sit with you for a while?"

Staring at him, she nodded slowly. "Is… something wrong?"

"I had a nightmare…" He shuffled closer, rubbing his arm and swallowing hard. "…Bad one…"

A… nightmare? She watched him closely. Did he remember, like she had? If so, why had he called her Lucia? If he remembered, he'd know that was not her true title. "What did you dream?"

He gave her a wary look with his pale lavender eyes – so light, so different from the rest of the siblings – as he lowered himself onto the edge of her bed and scooted a little closer. She laid back next to him, keeping her eyes on his troubled face.

"I dreamt… I was a monster." He gulped again, eyes flitting a little, like he was re-imagining what he'd seen. "I couldn't think… I couldn't… could barely speak… All I felt… was… hunger. I couldn't get enough, it hurt… all the time…" Slowly, he turned his frightened eyes to her, and Lucia felt the old attachments, the affection and protectiveness she once felt for him, resurrect in the recesses of her human heart.

Heart… I have a heart now, don't I…?

"I ate people, Lucy…" He searched her gaze, taking in the comfort she hoped he'd see. "I… I ripped them apart… There was… was blood… everywhere…" He shivered, fear rising to his face again. "And I didn't care…" His voice pitched, and his jaw quivered. He moved to hug himself, but Lucia beat him to it, sliding an arm around his narrow shoulders (they wouldn't be narrow for much longer, she mused; if they were human now, he would likely grow to be broad and solid like Gredian – Greed – and End-… Envy.) and hugging him close.

She couldn't bring herself to tell him that it wasn't just a dream. Not yet. She couldn't. He was unsettled enough. He probably realized, actually; he had to know it was more than just a dream, and yet hoped that's all it was. She would let him accept it in his own time. For now, it seemed they both needed something to hold onto.

What now? She closed her eyes. What happens now?

He remembered.

He remembered everything. And it wasn't all pleasant. While most of it was boring – spending hundreds of years underground, digging endless tunnels, and sleeping every chance he got – the rest of it was less than rosy. Things like Pride and Father's punishments and retaliations, being covered in fuel and frozen solid under the Briggs Fortress, and his death were those most prominent in his mind. He shuddered as he braced his hand on the doorknob.

His thoughts redirected, however, when he realized that the two in the room beyond were already awake. And of all things, he was one to know who slept in to when. Gredian and Ender certainly weren't on the top of the Early Risers list. What was going on?

Had they remembered too?

"Take it easy, Ender-"

Gredian.

"Shut up! You know full well that's not my name!"

Ender.

This didn't sound good.

"So what if I do? That's who you are now!"

"Wrong answer!"

Then came the scuffle, before Ender yelped at a particularly loud thud. Sorin raised his eyebrows, and then cracked the door, peering in. Gredian was stepping away from a groaning Ender, who sprawled on his side on the hard mosaic floor, burying his pained face against it. Sorin wasn't sure what Gredian had done, but it must've hurt.

Gredian himself looked a little more tired and serious than usual. Sorin cracked the door a little farther, and accidentally garnered the oldest prince's attention.

"Sorin – something wrong?" Gredian frowned in his direction.

Sorin stepped in, glancing at Ender – who looked up at him with familiar rage – before addressing his eldest brother. "I remember, Gredian."

The latter sighed, managing to look both relieved and burdened at the same time. He rubbed a hand over his face. "I see…"

"So it's not just me." Ender staggered to his feet, fists clenching, teeth grinding. "It's all of us – and now, it'll be five to one."

Gredian's frown deepened. "What are you talking about?"

"If we all remember, you'll recall you're a traitor, due for some well-earned punishment!"

"You're being ridiculous."

"And because you're so d*** calm about this, you must have known all along what happened to us – why we're here, how we got out of the Void, all of it! So before I kill you, I'll beat the answers out of you!"

Sorin peered closely at Gredian while he dodged another clumsy punch from Ender. Gredian did seem rather casual, now that he thought about it; if he'd known all along, it'd make sense. Gredian always made a point to stand out one way or another. Perhaps now wasn't so different. To be honest, Sorin was curious to hear the story – if there was one to tell.

He watched, halfway amused, as Gredian dispacted Ender easily once again – both of them were using the drows' native Kapoera-chi, an ancient fighting technique that Deodra had taught them all. But in what might've been an even match of skill, Gredian had the advantage of size, weight and actual combat training, plus his natural speed and agility. Ender was two out of five, and clearly the inferior as he again sprawled to the floor, gasping, hands clamped over the base of his throat, where Gredian had delivered a sharp jab.

"You forget what you are now, Ender."

"Shut the h*** up!" the olive-haired brother rasped, coughing and rubbing his neck. He tried propping himself onto his elbows. "I don't care-"

"You're a human now. And I know why." Gredian glared down at the second prince. "But you won't bully me into anything – you should know by now that it'll never work. I'm waiting until we're all together. Then I'll explain."

Ender cursed him a number of times, and lunged for one more assault. Rolling his eyes, Gredian sidestepped, spun around, and delivered a backwards blow with his elbow to Ender's nose, which emitted a sickening crunch. Blood spurted and Ender howled in pain, stumbling back and clasping his hands over his face, tears springing to his eyes as they squinted shut. That'd keep him out of commission for a while; not even Ender was dumb enough to fight blind. Besides. He had a very low pain threshold. Sorin knew that even without the aid of his memories.

"Sorin."

He looked up from Ender's writhing form to Gredian's stern gaze. "Hm?"

"Go get the other two. Just the other two. Bring them here."

Sorin nodded. "What about Seaver? Mother and Father?"

"Just Lucia and Glundil… and some gauze." Gredian narrowed his eyes down at Ender, who was whimpering with blood oozing between his fingers. "We need to have a talk."