Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fullmetal Alchemist or Bloodlines
It took me a moment to recover from what I'd experienced, but even so it did not free me from the emptiness I now felt. I had no name, I was nothing but a mind filled with empty facts. Sure, I could recite the entire periodic table in at least five different languages from memory, and even describe each element in detail, but I could not tell anyone a thing about myself. Where I was born, who I was friends with, even who my family was, it was all a mystery. Knowledge was a great thing, but without any memory of how I obtained it, part of me wondered if it could even be trusted. After all, I didn't know if I had legitimately learned any of the facts inside my head, or if I had simply listened to what someone else told me was the truth.
Still, I had to keep moving forward. There was no way I was going to stop now, not when I had just sacrificed everything for one transmutation. Glancing down at the circle on the ground, I finally noticed what was in the center of the circle. Some grotesque body was there, deformed and looking nothing like a human. I felt mildly sick at the sight of it, but my emotions didn't match the horror that should have been there. I didn't even know who this was supposed to be, since I couldn't even remember my reasons for attempting this in the first place. Regardless, it was already dead once more and it no longer seemed to matter. I was not going to perform human transmutation again, not when it came with such a high cost.
Glancing around, part of me began to wonder if this was my home. After all, it did have books on alchemy within. It seemed rather nice, with a comfortable recliner outside of the room I had been in and a large flat screen TV. Perhaps I could go back to this life, pretend nothing had happened. After all, if anyone found out I had committed this great taboo, I could only imagine how much trouble I'd be in. Glancing back at the room, I decided it would be best if no one found out the truth. I clapped my hands together, remembering the secrets I had learned, and placed them against the solid wall. Using the material within, I stretched it out further and thinner, covering the room so no one could find it. The only signs left behind were faint transmutation markings on the wall, indistinguishable for anyone who didn't understand what to look for.
Walking back out to the living room, I noticed an open book on the table. It appeared to be a yearbook of some kind, from a school called Amberwood. Was I a student there? Did I graduate? Part of me wondered the truth about all of this, but the pictures did not provide me with any answers. My image was no where to be found within the book, leaving me feeling rather disappointed. I had hoped to find some clue about my memories, but it seemed like even in my own home there were no answers. Well, I suppose I must have had a well paying job, considering how luxurious the furniture was, but beyond that, my life was a mystery. Knowledge of history, chemicals, and vampires seemed like a strange combination for any profession I could think of, leaving me in the dark about what I did for a living.
Flipping back to the page the book was originally on, I frowned. It was a picture of Kelly Hayes, an junior at the time this yearbook was printed. Was she one of my friends? She looked fairly athletic, with tanned skin that showed she loved the sun. Perhaps I was friends with her, and went to a different school. Then again, it didn't explain the massive pile of yearbooks that were tossed aside carelessly, all from Amberwood. With a sigh, I set it aside once more, closing my eyes as my mind continued to be haunted by that strange creature who called himself God and the truth beyond the gate.
I was distracted by the sound of a knock at the door, making me wonder who was here. I needed to focus if I wanted to deceive them, lead them to believe I knew who I was. Still, I couldn't even remember my own name. I hoped I didn't do anything too strange, as I got up and opened the door. I saw a guy standing outside, based on his height and pale skin, he was a moroi. I wished I knew more, enough to tell me how to act around him.
"Hey, sorry to bug you here." he said, giving me a sheepish smile. I let him inside, still unsure of why he was here. Did I work a lot with vampires? I sure didn't feel like a feeder, addicted to the endorphins from their bites, but maybe that went away with my memories? I really didn't know, and part of me didn't want to find out. For some reason, the very thought of giving my blood to one of them sent chills through me. I would refuse if that was what he wanted, no matter what the cost.
"What are you doing here?" I asked him, hoping I could get away with ignorance. It might tell me something, depending on how he answered.
We both walked over to the living room. "I needed to talk to you. When you said you were coming here, it made me wonder if what my father had said was true. That Keith isn't here anymore?" he asked.
I sat down in the recliner, running a hand through my hair. I really had no idea who this Keith person was, yet clearly I was supposed to know him. I decided it was best to play it safe, and agree with this man's father about his location. "Uh, yeah. Keith's gone." I told him, hoping my nervousness wasn't showing.
"Is he not coming back?" the moroi asked, frowning as he glanced around the room. It was a bit of a mess, making me wonder what had happened here. I was only aware of the hidden room and what it contained, not the main living area. I gave the boy a shrug, really uncertain of the truth. Maybe this Keith guy would come back, maybe not, I really didn't know.
"Well, will there be another Alchemist to replace him?" he asked, looking a bit disappointed. My body stiffened at the mention of an Alchemist, but I realized what he meant. Alchemist had two meanings to me now, one as a person who practiced alchemy and also as a person who worked to keep vampires hidden from the human world. How I knew this was a mystery, but it did give me some insight into this Keith character. He had been one of them, and this moroi was looking for their help.
At the same time, I wondered how I knew about vampires, if there was an entire organization devoted to keeping them hidden. "I don't know." I told the boy after a moment, realizing I had been silent and thoughtful for too long.
"So you're the only Alchemist in the area." he commented, sounding incredibly sad. Once again, I stiffened, wondering if he knew what I had done, but that was before it clicked in my head. I had worked as an Alchemist, as one of these people that kept vampires hidden from this world. It explained my strange variety of knowledge, the facts that swarmed in my mind without any origin.
The boy glanced over, stopping as he stared at the open yearbook on the desk next to me. "Kelly Hayes." he commented, staring down at the book with a dark look on his face.
"Have you heard of her?" I asked him, curious to know why he was interested. Maybe he could clue me in on some of my missing memories, but he didn't look too eager to do so.
"You might say that." he replied, still being rather cryptic. Glancing down, I saw that there was a picture of this moroi in the yearbook, with him next to Kelly in a prom picture. The two of them had dated, but I didn't understand what the issue was at the moment.
He continued regarding me with a sad look, shaking his head. "Shit. I hadn't wanted it to happen like this." he told me, pulling out a knife. I stared at it, feeling my heart begin to pound as I stood back up. This boy was going to attack me, and I had no idea why. Still, I had a strong determination to live on. After all, I still had to find a way to get my memories back. I wasn't going to just sit back and let him kill me.
"I knew you'd figure it out, but I didn't expect you to do it so soon." he commented, but I really could care less about his morbid plans. I glared over at him, debating how I should attack. For some reason, I didn't have much knowledge of fighting styles, but that wasn't going to stop me. Even if I had never cared about self-defense before, it didn't mean I wasn't willing to try. I knew how to punch, and I had alchemy by my side. Few people could stand against it, without knowledge of the art themselves.
"I don't care who you are, or what you've done. There is no way I'm going down without a fight though." I told him, watching him blink at me in surprise. It was enough of a distraction for me to charge forward, trying to tackle him down. Even so, my strength was not enough and I was far to small to do much beyond shoving him back.
"Wait…you're saying you don't know? You don't even know who I am?" he asked, still not recovering from my words. I gave him a small smirk, no longer caring about hiding my amnesia. After all, I could give plenty of medical explanations about my missing memories, and it seemed like they would have to buy into it. It would only be their word against mine, in the end, and I was determined to prove myself right.
"Sorry, not a clue. I blacked out when I got here and woke up without any of my memories. Imagine my surprise when some stranger comes in trying to attack me, obviously I'm not just going to take that sitting down." I told him, watching his body grow more tense, tightening his grip on his knife.
I felt it stab through my shoulder, as he moved faster than I had expected. I grimaced, groaning from the pain that seemed to start a moment after he dealt the wound. "I suppose that makes this a little easier. You're nothing like the quiet girl that Jill was friends with, I no longer have to respect her wishes and can kill you without any regrets." he told me, making me smile in amusement. He was going to be in for a bit of a surprise during his next attack, as I prepared myself to use alchemy in defense. I clapped my hands together, waiting for him to strike with that knife. As soon as he did, I moved to touch the blade, shattering it in an instant as blue sparks danced around my hands. He gasped, his eyes wide as he stared into my eyes.
"As I told you before, I'm not going down without a fight. You would be wise to stop while you can." I told him, watching him continue to stare at me in confusion.
"That…that's impossible! You're human, you can't use magic." he stated, as if it was the most shocking thing in the world. Part of me understood then, realizing that alchemy must not have been well-known in the world. Perhaps this skill would come in handy in the future, if even non-humans were unaware of it. Besides, true magic didn't even exist in this world. It still came with a price and followed the Law of Equivalent exchange. Water was pulled from the moisture in the air, earth had to be pulled from the ground, fire was created using the moroi's own energy and igniting the gasses in the air, air users had plenty of gas to manipulate already. All major elements used by moroi involved using something already present, and they didn't even realize it. While it might be impressive that they did not use transmutation circles, the concept was still followed.
Even spirit users followed this law, paying a different price for their seemingly impossible feats. Their sanity was what they lost when they healed others, still a price equivalent to the miracles they could perform. "It is simple, really, when you understand the chemical and physical properties of the world around you. Such a shame that your kind never bothers to learn." I commented, realizing that this was the very thing stopping them from looking deeper into their magic. They believed they understood it all, when they knew nothing. Their magic had its origins in alchemy and without understanding that, they would never advance into the future.
The boy looked like he was preparing to attack again, his face darkening and turning a bit more serious. I prepared myself as well, until a knock at the door interrupted both of us. "Not a word. They'll go away." the boy insisted, making me all the more determined to let them inside.
"Sage, I know you're in there. I saw your car. I know you're pissed off, but just listen to me." a voice called out, cutting through the tension between me and the moroi. I had no idea who this was, or who this Sage person was supposed to be, but I couldn't care less. Glaring over at my attacker, I clapped my hands together and slammed them on the ground, making the floor itself rise against him and clear a path to the door. The boy looked startled, stumbling around to try and keep his balance, but he reacted too late and collapsed on his side, his eyes wide as he saw me rushing for the door.
I swung it open, surprised to see yet another moroi in this house. It was strange, considering my knowledge of the Alchemists, that I had so many of them visiting me. If they thought vampires were unnatural, why was I friends with so many of them? Maybe I was unusual for their organization and didn't believe in the same things. After all, my knowledge on moroi led me to believe they were more or less like humans, just with the ability to use magic and a need to drink blood for survival. So long as no one died, it didn't seem too terrible to me, and they did give their victims a decent exchange for their blood. The high given was supposedly unlike any other, thus they were compensated for what was given.
Before I could say a word, I felt the other moroi grab me, pressing yet another knife to my throat as his arm restrained my arms against my sides. I was unable to transmute like this, trapped in his grip. I wondered where the new knife came from, when I remembered that we weren't that far from the kitchen. My attack must have brought him close enough to find a new weapon, and I could feel the steel pressed against my throat.
"Don't come any closer." the moroi warned, backing into the house with me while the newcomer stared with watchful eyes. I had to admit, this new one was rather beautiful, with deep green eyes and messy hair. He looked like a work of art in a way, but the worry on his face seemed to ruin it. He seemed like the kind of guy that should be smiling in some way, not frowning in concentration. "Shut the door. Then….sit down and put your hands behind your head. I'll kill her if you don't." the boy behind me warned.
I watched my rescuer seem to give up, his hands held up in the air as he seemed to grow serious for a moment. He sunk to the ground, hands behind his head as he followed instructions. "Lee, I don't know what you're doing, but you need to stop it now before it goes any further. You don't have a gun. You can't really hold us both here under the threat of a knife." he said, finally giving me at least one name to work with. My captor was Lee, though it wouldn't do me much good at the moment.
I was busy coming up with a plan, ignoring Lee's discussion on his plans to become strigoi once more. The newcomer now had handcuffs on and seemed to be talking with him, a decent distraction that could allow me to gain some freedom. All I had to do was free one arm, then I would break away with a bit of alchemy. Lee seemed so desperate to become one of them, but that was when it clicked in my mind, somehow I figured out what was wrong with his plans.
"Equivalent exchange." I said, my eyes wide as both Lee and the newcomer frowned in confusion. "The price had been paid to bring you back, a price that cannot be returned. Thus, your state must be permanent as well. The exchange to restore you has been completed and nothing can undo it." I told him, watching it only seem to confuse them even further. I realized that this was pointless, since neither of them understood a thing about alchemy. After all, that law didn't seem to be well known outside of the art.
"Sage, did you hit your head or something? I get talking facts and stuff, but this is just plain crazy." the newcomer commented, while I gave him a sad smile, shaking my head. Apparently I was his friend, and now I had a name for myself. Sage….it sounded a bit strange, but it didn't really matter. It was something and I was not going to let go of the small bit of information I was given.
"He ruined my life. I've been trying to get it back for six years. I was almost ready for the last resort…until you and Keith came along. I've still got that last option left. I don't want it to come to that, though. For all our sakes." Lee commented, ignoring the man handcuffed on the ground and glaring at me.
"Did you not listen to a word I just said? Regardless of the method you use, a price must be paid to undo what has been done. The Law of Equivalent Exchange must be abided, as it was when you were brought back to this state. At the moment, I do not believe that it is possible for you to pay the price necessary, since it directly involves the huma-er, vampire soul." I explained, trying once more.
"You think I care about all that crap? I was perfect before, immortal, powerful, and I was going to stay that way forever! Your beliefs on saving the soul have led to a strict and short life, one that I bet you'd regret if you could remember any of it at this point." Lee commented, making the other boy glance at me with a frown.
"Wait, what do you mean if she could remember it? What the hell is going on?" he demanded, but Lee had already moved, his knife digging into my neck and making me hiss in pain. He knelt down, his grip a bit looser as he began to lick the blood up in some twisted way that made fury rise within me. With his grip loosened, I was able to free one arm, preparing to attack as he shoved me away, a look of disgust on his face.
"No, there's something wrong….what's wrong with you? What's wrong with your blood?" Lee demanded, scowling and wiping the remains of my blood off of his mouth. "I can't do it. I can't stomach any of it. Why?" he demanded, leaving me feeling a bit confused, yet relieved. At least he couldn't do that to me again, even if I didn't understand what was going on with my blood.
"I told you before…" I said, feeling a bit light-headed from the blood loss. He had cut fairly deep, but it wasn't life-threatening at all. Just a lot of blood for the moment, something I would have to recover from with fluid and sugar when this was done. Taking a deep breath, I did my best to continue weakly, putting pressure on the cut on my throat. "You can't pay the price….you can't return. If you don't believe me….why don't I show you what happens when you try to create something with nothing to give in return." I told him, realizing that it wouldn't matter at this point. It just might save our lives, considering his last plan was strigoi. I wasn't going to fool anyone, even with alchemy, I would be no match for one of those monsters.
Walking over to the wall, I heard Lee following behind, looking irritated but willing to hear me out. "This better be worth it, Sydney. I'm not getting any more patient now, I've already lost too much time and aged far too much." Lee commented, while the other moroi got up awkwardly as well, looking curious as he joined us. Lee glared at him, but the green eyed vampire simply shrugged, his eyes locked on me with a confused frown on his face, studying me deeply. I felt like he was analyzing far more than just my expression, but ignored it so I could focus on revealing what was behind the wall. Just one clap later, a door was created out of the wall, opening underneath my grip as Lee and the other man followed behind me.
I heard both of them gasp at the sight in front of us, the mangled looking body that only vaguely resembled a person. "Nothing can be created without giving something of equal value in return…this is a fundamental truth of our world, known as the Law of Equivalent Exchange. Someone exchanged part of their own sanity to restore you to this form, something that they will never be able to get back. Thusly, you will never be able to return to being a strigoi, making it something of equal value. That is why you have constantly failed, and why even using your last resort will fail. You would be throwing your life away for nothing, Lee, and that is something that I will not allow, not if I can help it." I told him, feeling determined. My mistake had taught me one thing, even if it was something I had already known before. Life was valuable and precious, regardless of whose life it was. I would not let it be wasted like this, not when I could do something to stop him.
"Sage….that still doesn't explain what the hell that thing is behind you. What was that bastard Keith up to in here?" the other moroi asked, looking confused and still unnerved by the body behind me. His words made me realize that perhaps this wasn't my house, that this place belonged to the mysterious man named Keith that everyone kept mentioning. Regardless, it didn't change the fact that this being was my creation.
"That is my own attempt at something forbidden, though I can't exactly say what it was I wanted to do. The price of this, was my knowledge on myself. All memories of my past have been stripped away from me, in order to try and create this creature here. It didn't even live long enough for me to see it alive, and I can't say I even know who it was supposed to be." I told them, my voice feeling distant as I spoke of the truth. I had given up everything, and gotten nothing in return. Just a glimpse inside a door that didn't even exist, that was all that had been given to me. I felt a small tear fall down my cheek, regretting whatever had pushed me towards this. I had barely made it an hour without my memories, and already it felt too overwhelming for me to find a way to move forward.
Lee remained silent, stumbling back and leaning against the wall, his eyes closed. He must have realized the truth of my words, and was losing hope of reaching his goal. The other boy, however, stepped closer to me, his eyes looking concerned and worried. "We'll get them back, Sage. I promise you, you won't be alone and we'll figure out how to fix this." he told me, looking like he was about to reach out, but pulling back at the last second. I wondered why he hesitated, part of me actually wanted his embrace. He seemed truly concerned for me and at the moment, I could care less about who was on my side, as long as it meant I wasn't alone. Staring into his eyes, I felt my legs give out, falling to the ground in the circle once more as tears streamed down my face. This time, he knelt down with me, giving in to his original impulse to reach out. It was awkward with his cuffed hands, but he managed to wrap his arms around me and keep me pulled into a tight hug. I pressed my head into his shirt, sobbing as I realized just how much I had lost, and how much further I had to go to get it back.
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