Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fullmetal Alchemist or Bloodlines
I didn't know how to react to the story I just heard. It was too shocking for words, discovering that the Alchemists that now struggled to keep the existence of vampires hidden had been the very ones to create them in the first place. Adrian was still sitting by my side on the couch, unaware of what I had just learned about his race.
Still, there was one thing that I felt I was certain of. I couldn't give up my alchemy, not yet at least. Ed, Al, and Winry needed help to be freed from the philosopher's stone. "Are you still doing okay?" Keith asked after a few moments, while I nodded in response. I was tired and drained after listening to their story, but I needed to press on for more answers. I could deal with a bit of exhaustion if it got me to my goals in the end.
"The circle that made them…would you be able to show it to me?" I asked after a few moments, wanting to help find a way to fix this mistake. The moroi and dhampirs weren't a problem, but strigoi needed to be stopped somehow. It would be inefficient to use spirit users to restore them and dhampirs did not have the numbers or strength necessary to hunt down those that remained.
Ed agreed, and in just a few moments, an image flashed behind my eyes. I quickly grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, drawing out the circle carefully to study it on my own. "Sydney, you better not be planning on using that yourself. You saw what it did." Keith warned, while I nodded, frowning at his assumption that I would be so careless.
"Sage isn't an idiot, Darnell, so stop treating her like one." Adrian stated, still not bothering to change his new name for Keith. I had realized fairly quickly that Adrian rarely called anyone by their real name, resorting to nicknames or their last name instead.
Keith didn't comment on Adrian's words, simply watching as I thought. The symbols in the circle, most of them were familiar to me from the alchemical symbols I already knew. However, I was surprised to see written words around the border, written in latin. That right there was the problem. They used some idiotic made-up language that no one could possibly understand! Who the hell does something like that and manages to use it in a transmutation circle? Ed demanded, after explaining exactly what had been written within it.
"It's just latin." I replied, as if that answered everything. He seemed to stay silent for a moment after that, before he came up with another comment to make.
Wait…you can actually read this crap? Man, I wish we found you sooner, maybe we could have gotten some answers at least. Ed stated. I glanced over at Keith, frowning at him and wondering why he hadn't told Ed about the latin. Maybe it wasn't something that Alchemists were required to learn.
"Damn, I guess those dead languages do have some uses. Here I was thinking I only needed to learn the most common spoken languages." Keith stated, sounding a bit upset with himself.
Staring back at the circle, I still didn't have any clues to what the writing did for it. The writing, when translated, seemed to hold little meaning beyond scattered words. One section translated into eternal life, another portion seemed to roughly translate as energy transfer, and one was written to read change the toll. However, one was written larger than the rest, centered at the top of the circle. That was where it stated seal, or close, depending on how it was viewed. Overall, the words would have no effect on the transmutation in my mind, at least that was what I thought until another possibility occurred to me.
"Ed, did the Alchemists do anything strange when activating this circle? Did they say anything odd, do some strange hand gesture, or even throw random objects into the circle?" I asked, already knowing who to go to if he replied yes.
Why the hell would that change anything? There's no way it would do anything for the transmutation, that is what the circle is for. Ed commented, not believing me.
I got up, already realizing that I would need to demonstrate to prove my point. Quickly, I rummaged through my purse and pulled out the fire-making charm that Adrian had found before. "I'll show you how it can change things." I stated, setting the stone down for a moment. After all, I didn't want to risk having something drain my energy as I used it to perform magic.
"Adrian, go get some water, we're going to need it. Fill a bucket, or bowl, or anything really." I told him, not really seeing another option. I was going to have to set something in the house on fire, since it would be easier to contain than a fire in the grass outside. Digging deeper into my purse, I found a pad of paper, blank and unused. It would function for my target, so long as I actually hit it. I leaned it up against the wall, standing not that far away as I waited for Adrian to return with water.
"Sage, please tell me you aren't going to do anything stupid and reckless." Adrian stated, setting down two mixing bowls of water. They were on top of a coffee table in the room, and I shrugged in response.
"Sorry, but I'm afraid I can't say that." I told him, stepping just a little ways back and holding the amulet ready to throw. "Into the flame, into the flame." I said calmly, throwing the necklace into the paper. I felt the drain on my energy, just slightly but noticeable considering how tired I already was. The paper in front of me had ignited, small flames dancing around as the amulet activated from my incantation. I moved quickly, grabbing the water and dousing the fire immediately, but that did not stop me from noticing the shocked stares of Adrian and Keith behind me.
"That writing is an entirely different form of alchemy, something my teacher actually considers magic. I am fairly certain that there is more to that circle than meets the eye." I told them, reaching towards the stone before a wave of dizziness washed over me. I didn't have time to deal with this, not when I was so close to answers.
Adrian saw that I was struggling and he shook his head, looking upset at how much I was pushing myself. "I'll take the vampire rock for you, Sage. You need to sit down for a few minutes." he stated, pushing me away from the stone and forcing me back onto the couch. He picked up the rock, frowning as one of the people within spoke to him.
"Al and Ed didn't see anything, they were too focused on the girl. Winry claims she saw them throw some kind of dust into the circle, though, and that their lips were moving. What the hell is this circle supposed to do anyway?" Adrian stated. I didn't know if I should explain or not, considering there was no way of guessing how he would react to the truth.
Ed and Al clearly weren't answering, based on his expression. "Adrian….it's complicated. Tell you what, once I figure out how it worked, I'll explain it to you." I told him, honestly expecting to fail in that endeavor. I might have a basic understanding of Ms. Terwilliger's spell books, but I was in no way a master of the art. Comprehending a personally tailored spell would be hard enough, not to mention figuring out how it enhanced the transmutation circle.
"Fine, fine, I'll ask her! Ed wants to know how you did that transmutation before." Adrian said with a sigh, looking irritated as he glared at the rock in his hands.
I shrugged, sitting down and leaning back, closing my eyes for a moment. I was even more tired than I thought I had been, and that was saying something. "Energy. Instead of using the energy of the earth, it uses your own energy to cast the transmutation circle is only necessary if you are tapping into the energy around you instead of your own." I explained, thinking back to what my teacher had told me.
"That sounds like alkahestry to me. Al would probably understand it a bit better than Ed, if that's the case." Ketih stated, making me wonder what this other art was. I hadn't heard much about it from Ed and Al, beyond claiming that it was some other country's version of Alchemy.
Adrian nodded, glancing down at the rock. "Al seems to agree, Darnell, but even he hasn't heard of utilizing your own energy for a transmutation." he stated, while I shrugged, glancing out the window.
"Even I don't understand it all that well. Before I lost my memory, I believe I had someone teaching me how to use it. My teacher could be helpful to us, if it really does involve her version of Alchemy." I told them, already making plans to speak with her tomorrow. I placed the picture of the circle in my purse once more, wondering what to do now. "Hey, Adrian? Did Al explain anything about alkahestry to you?" I asked, watching him shake his head.
"Not at all, Sage, I'm more lost on this stuff than you are," he replied, sitting down next to me. The stone must have been taking a toll on him as well, based on the way he moved. Adrian was moving slower, and now he was trying to rest and recover from its effects.
I nodded, glancing at the remains of my burnt notepad by the wall. Energy manipulation combined with manipulation of matter….that was what the transmutation circle had to be going for. It was a key element missing from Alchemy, something that focused mainly on the physical make-up of the world, not the energy contained within. In a way, I could already see how they mixed together. By adding your own personal energy into the mix along with the energy utilized by the transmutation circle, it became possible to ever so slightly break the Law of Equivalent Exchange. It wasn't quite as major as what would occur with an actual philosopher's stone, which stored the energy of numerous people inside of it, but it would be enough to accomplish something minor, much like the fire-making charm I had just used.
"It functions as a replacement for a philosopher's stone." I whispered, realizing this without even talking to my teacher like I had planned.
Adrian glanced over at me, raising an eyebrow to inquire what this was about. "That's what the spell was for, to provide enough energy to complete the task at hand! They needed a way to avoid paying the price, to avoid actually opening the Gate, and that is what the magic was for," I stated, reaching for the stone that Adrian pulled away from me.
"No way, Sage, you're not getting this back anytime soon. Go home and sleep, we can talk to your friends again tomorrow about this idea of yours," Adrian insisted, and I knew he was right. Still, I couldn't just let go of this revelation so easily. I might have other duties to perform, but I would be coming back to this.
I nodded at Adrian, pulling my hand back with a sigh. "Right. I should probably consult with Ms. Terwilliger anyway, just to confirm my suspicions," I stated, watching Adrian nod and smile over at me. He returned to stone to Keith's possession, who placed it back within his hidden room.
"Both of you understand that no one can find out I am here, right?" Keith asked, while we both nodded in agreement. "Sorry, Adrian, but I'm afraid I'm going to be staying here with you. That research is all I have left from my heritage, and I'm not about to let it go. Besides, it gives me the perfect hiding place where no one will even see me or hear me," he explained, walking into the room where he hid the stone. He nodded towards us as a form of goodbye, before drawing a transmutation circle on the inner wall and activating it. The transmuted door returned to its original state, now nothing but a wall blocking the entry to the hidden room.
I heard the sound of a car door closing, making me remember we had ditched Dimitri and Sonya outside hours ago. At least, I thought it was hours ago. I really didn't know how much time had passed, considering I had fallen unconscious at some point throughout my time here. "Adrian, honestly, we can't send you to do anything. We leave you alone, expecting you to take five minutes, and the next thing we know, we're stuck in the car for hours," Sonya complained, looking a bit irritated at her wait.
Dimitri seemed calmer at least, standing stoically by her side. "It wasn't his fault, it was mine. I lost track of time, I am sorry for making you wait," I told her, stepping up to Adrian's defense.
"What were you even doing in here? It smells like something was burning," Dimitri asked, watchful as ever. I knew exactly what it had been, but I didn't exactly have any way of explaining it to them.
Adrian wrapped an arm around my shoulders, smirking at his friends. "Nah, nothing that entertaining. Maybe we should have had a bonfire, Sage, it would definitely have added to tonight's entertainment," he commented, making me laugh as Dimitri actually lost his calm outside demeanor. He looked a bit uncomfortable, and his expression was one of disbelief.
When he heard my laughter, Dimitri seemed to realize that Adrian had only been teasing like usual. His shock faded and he simply looked exasperated at that point. "Adrian, how could you even insinuate something like that? You need to be more sensitive towards the Alchemists, they aren't all that comfortable with us right now," Sonya criticized, but I was shaking my head.
"Stop telling him what to do, Sonya, I don't have any issues with his statement. I can't remember anything and at the moment, I honestly have absolutely no reason to dislike vampires," I told her, watching as Adrian's face seemed to light up.
"Aww, that's gotta be the nicest thing I've ever heard an Alchemist say about us," he stated, this time pulling me in for a tight hug. It startled me, but I realized his intent when he began whispering into my ear. "Be careful, Sage. I get wanting to help them, but take care of yourself too," he told me, pulling back with his usual grin on his face.
I nodded towards him, turning to leave with Sonya and Dimitri since they were my ride back to the school. They seemed surprised by my calmness towards Adrian and my acceptance of them, but neither of them made any further comments on it. None of us wanted to dwell on negative matters, and even they understood that questions on how I lost my memory would not be welcome.
It has been forever since I've updated this story! I am so sorry about the wait. Between writing my other pieces, school and work...this story just got forgotten about for a while. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review and tell me what you think!