Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Bloodlines or Fullmetal Alchemist
The next day did not flow as smoothly as I had planned. While the trip with Sonya and Dimitri had been uneventful, apparently my friends at school had other ideas in mind for me. "So, tell me, what would you say to going on a blind date?" Julia asked as we sat together at lunch, while Kristen grinned in agreement with her.
I frowned, knowing I had the perfect excuse to get out of this. While I might not be able to reveal my new relationship with Adrian, I could definitely blame my distance on my amnesia. "It wouldn't feel right. I've got too many problems to deal with on my own right now," I argued, but Kristen and Julia did not seem to agree.
"Sydney, it can't be that bad. I get that you have amnesia, but everyone has issues and it isn't right to let them hold you back from making important decisions about your life," Kristen argued, while Julia nodded along with her.
I took a bite of my lunch, still not interested in the idea. "How on earth do you guys consider a blind date a critical life choice?" I demanded, not following their logic.
Julia grinned, leaning closer towards me as she spoke. "Dates lead to love, which can ultimately lead to marriage! Come on, even if you don't like him, you can at least have some fun out of the deal," Julia insisted, begging me with her eyes.
Jill and Eddie joined us then, sitting down next to them with a polite nod as a greeting. "What's up with them?" he asked, noticing the way Julia and Kristen seemed to be ganging up on me.
"They insist that I need to go on a date," I explained, watching as Eddie seemed to choke on the bite of food he had just eaten. Jill frowned, not looking pleased either.
"Sydney doesn't need to go on dates, she's fine just the way she is," Jill argued, confusing all of us. Honestly, I thought she would be all for this. Jill always seemed timid and shy, but she had a girly side that I thought this would bring out.
Eddie frowned at her comment as well, just as lost on it as I was. "Look, here's the deal. Trey was saying he knows this co-worker who would be perfect for you. I say, you need to go for it, Syd. I mean, I've dated, like, five guys just since this school year started. You have gone on zero dates," Julia argued once more, still pushing for this.
I was done with this conversation already, sighing as I prepared to move away and eat the rest of my lunch in peace. "Come on, Sydney, she didn't mean it like that! We just think you need to enjoy yourself some more," Kristen argued, grabbing my wrist to stop me from leaving.
"Kristen, let Sydney go," Eddie said, making me notice the tension in his gaze as he stared over at her. Even when he was in a place as calm as this school, he was expecting the worst of dangers from even innocents like Kristen.
I really wasn't bothered by her at all, but Eddie's words were enough to get her to release me. "I understand that you mean well, but I simply am not interested," I told her, giving her a small smile as I sat back down with them. Jill seemed to shake her head slightly, as if she was still waking up, blinking as she focused on us again.
I didn't think there was anything strange about it, until her body grew tense again, her gaze distant. "Eddie…." she began, her gaze glancing over at Julia and Kristen for a moment before Jill began to touch her head again. I understood the hint, aware that this had something to do with vampires if she couldn't talk about it with my friends here.
"Jill, are you feeling alright? You seem a bit flushed to me," I told her, pressing a hand against her forehead. The heat in the cafeteria indeed did have her cheeks slightly pink, and she played along with me. "I'm sorry, but I think I have to take my sister back to our dorm. She can't be in class if she has a fever," I told Julia and Kristen, getting up and grabbing Jill as I began to rush out.
"Okay, now start explaining what's going on." I stated, the second we were outside of earshot of the others.
"Well…you don't really remember any of this, but Adrian and I are sort of…bonded. All I know right now is that something is wrong…no wait, I think it's better now. Someone attacked him while he was out with Sonya, getting supplies for their research." Jill explained, rubbing her head with a tired look in her eyes.
Worry tore through me, hoping that the two of them were alright. I had no idea who would attack them, considering it was too light out for strigoi and that any dissidents from Court would come after Jill instead. "Do we need to go look into this?" I asked, not bothering to cover up my concern. Jill still didn't seem to know, frowning as we stepped into our dorm, sitting down on her bed.
"I don't know! I can't control it, Sydney, I can't see anything anymore. Adrian must have calmed down, because the bond isn't running strong anymore." she complained, looking like she was actually trying to get inside of Adrian's head for a moment. It was a strange sight to see, with Jill closing her eyes as she lay on the bed, her face looking towards the ceiling with an expression of determination.
Before she could say anything else, my phone rang. I still wasn't used to getting calls on it, and most of the time, it felt awkward to tell people I didn't remember them. I had gotten a few calls from family, specifically my mother, that made me guilty since I couldn't even remember their names. As I answered it this time, I hoped that it would be someone from this area at least.
"Sage, don't freak out, but we kind of got attacked on the street today," Adrian stated, something I was already aware of.
"So I heard. Is everyone okay?" I asked, taking this call as a good sign. A phone call meant he was not severely injured, and based on the sound of his voice, he wasn't all that shaken up by the attack.
It didn't take long for him to reply. "Yep, the gang's in one piece over here. Gotta say, I never realized how bad ass Belikov could be in a fight. It's a shame my hands don't sully themselves with manual labor, because I think I could pull off the look of a warrior pretty well," he stated, making me smile.
"Of course you could, do you want me to sign us up for some self defense classes to start? Or is that not hardcore enough for you?" I asked teasingly, hearing him chuckle on the other end of the line.
"Sure thing, Sage. As long as you're joining me, I wouldn't object to them," he replied, keeping my smile firmly planted on my face. "Anyway, I called because they left their sword behind," he began, making me freeze with wide eyes.
"Sword? Someone attacked you…with a sword?" I asked, wondering who would use such a tool. These days, guns were the way to go when you wanted to mug someone, so clearly that was not the case here. Even a knife would have been plausible, but a full-on sword was just something disturbing at the moment.
"Yes, Sage, an actual sword. Surprised the hell out of me too, but those guys were nuts anyway. They kept talking about Sonya and bringing her to justice or something along those lines. Back to the sword, though, it's got symbols on it that remind me of….well, that thing I'm not really supposed to talk about with the others over here." he stated, making my shock grow even more.
"Can you describe them for me?" I asked, hoping that this was not some transmutation circle. If Adrian had been attacked by someone who knew alchemy, that meant danger for all of us. The art was supposed to have been forgotten though, so it made me curious about how someone was using those symbols yet again.
Adrian did as I asked, describing each one to the best of his ability. "From what I am hearing, it sounds like they represent different elements. That sun symbol from before, it is meant to represent gold, and the second one you described is for silver. I highly doubt that there are any of those within the blade, but the other two would make sense. Iron and tin are likely the composition of the sword. The presence of the first two symbols tells me that this isn't….someone who can utilize it in the way you were thinking." I explained, curious about the rest of them.
If that was the case, then perhaps this was related to the organization. Alchemists were still aware of the old symbols used in the art, even if they could not use it themselves. As I focused n trying to fit the mystery together, a bit of a memory seemed to make it snap together. "The Warriors of the Light." I said with a groan, lying down on my own bed much like Jill was doing.
"What was that, Sage? Did you figure something out?" Adrian asked, while I sighed, nodding.
"Yeah, a second organization similar to the Alchemists, who actually used to be one with us. Their focus is a bit different, though, and based on the weapon you described, I'm fairly certain this is them. Long story short, they're vampire hunters." I told him, knowing there was no one around to hear my words.
Adrian seemed to pause for a moment on the other end of the line. "Sage…you do realize that you sound like Clarence right now. Do you really think the crazy old man is right?" he asked, making me remember the description I had been given of the other moroi. He lived in the area, and owned the house that I took Jill to for her feedings. While he had stayed out of our way when I was there before, I was still waiting to meet the man.
I had no idea that the moroi I had yet to meet knew of the Warriors. "I suppose so, if he believes they are real. I don't think even the Alchemists know about the Warriors, to be honest. From what I learned, I imagine they focus on strigoi, not moroi." I explained, watching as Jill turned towards me with a frown. She could hear this entire conversation as well, making me wonder what else she had heard. Did she already know about what I could do, about the real reason I lost my memory? Part of me wanted her to know the truth, but in the end, I still wanted to keep my abilities hidden.
"Wait, if the Alchemists don't know about them, how do you know who they are?" Jill asked, making me sigh and put Adrian on speaker phone. If she was going to join in randomly, I might as well make sure Adrian could hear her too.
"Adrian, you're on speaker now. Jill wants to join our discussion it seems. Anyway, how much did you, er, see, of my discussion with Adrian last night?" I asked, unsure of how much needed to be explained to her.
Jill looked a bit uncomfortable, her gaze shifting away from mine. "Well, probably more than you wanted me to. I'm sorry, Sydney, it just happens sometimes. I see more when Adrian's emotions are running strong, and trust me, they were when you passed out yesterday," she stated, sounding nervous.
"I'm not upset with you, Jill, I just wanted to make sure you were already aware of the Elrics." I told her, watching her nod. "The Warriors had a role to play in their past, forming as a result of something the Alchemists did, actually. Both groups and different ideas of how to solve the problem they created, so they split into two groups." I explained.
"Sydney, didn't you say they were vampire hunters? Are you implying that the Alchemists actually made vampires? That is beyond crazy, those boys are insane if they thinks something like that is even remotely possible," Adrian stated, catching on fairly quickly to the hint I'd accidentally placed in my reply.
I mentally cursed myself, originally planning on keeping this from them. "Adrian…they really did make the vampires. Moroi first, that was actually how Ed, Al, and Winry ended up trapped within that stone. When they tried to utilize the stone that had been created, the circle made a strigoi instead, who killed everyone involved in the experiments." I explained, watching as Jill's eyes went wide with shock.
"Man, no wonder you looked so out of it after their story. How the hell does no one remember this?" Adrian asked. With a sigh, he moved on, clearly not expecting an answer from me. "Anyway, the guys that attacked us, do you think we need to keep an eye out for them in the future?"
I didn't know much about the inner workings of their organization, beyond the fact that they sought to eliminate all vampires from the earth. The Warriors were good at staying hidden, enough that I didn't have any knowledge about them before Ed revealed them to me. While they focused on hunting strigoi, I found it odd that they had singled out a moroi to attack. They had done it with a sword as well….one of the few weapons a human could use to kill a strigoi, considering it wasn't all that easy to get your hands on a silver stake.
That was what solidified my hunch, that they had mistaken Sonya for a strigoi. From what little I had been told by the Alchemists on my trip, she had actually been one of them briefly, before a spirit user by the name of Robert Doru came along. He freed her from that state, making her a moroi once more. "I would say yes. From what you've told me, they are under the impression that Sonya is a strigoi," I told Adrian.
"Well, if that's the case, I'd say go out and find those classes for us, Sage. Gotta learn to protect myself somehow if crazy vampire hunters are after us," Adrian said, only half-jokingly. I nodded, having no qualms about learning to defend myself. After all, I was rather useless in a fist fight. As soon as my hands were restrained, I had been helpless against Lee. I didn't want something like that to happen again, so I was all for joining Adrian in learning self-defense. "Oh, and I've got one other thing I wanted to ask you about. You see, my old man's going to be in the area soon….and he's invited me to go to lunch with him," Adrian stated, doing his best to sound like he didn't care about the matter.
I could still hear it in his voice, a thinly layered pain that probably ran deeper than he wanted to let anyone see. I imagine we had both lived through something similar, if the way my father spoke to me was any indication. "He thinks I'm just bumming around in LA, up to no good as usual. The thing is, I don't have a car….so I was hoping you could give me a ride to see him," Adrian said, sounding a bit hesitant. "I know it is a long drive, Sage, and I'm not going to make up any story about how you'll have fun while you're there. Sure, you can go do what you'd like once we're there, have fun at a beach or something, but I know there isn't much you'd be getting out of this," Adrian explained, sounding like he had given up before I even gave him an answer.
I wanted to help Adrian, and if he trusted me enough to actually drive with my limited memory, I had no issues with doing this favor for him. "That's not a problem at all, Adrian. I'll probably just do some work while I wait for you, it isn't a big deal," I told him, already planning on getting more books from Ms. Terwilliger to study on the trip. It would be tedious work, but it would move us closer to learning the truth of how that circle had worked.
"You…you'll actually do it?" he asked, sounding completely floored. I laughed at his tone, amused at how shocked he was at my acceptance of the trip.
"Come on, Adrian, did you really deliver that entire pitch to me expecting me to say no?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.
"Yes, actually. I mean, I get that there is….something going on between us, but you still don't remember much. I'm probably not much more than a stranger to you right now, Sage, I highly doubt that you trust me that much," he explained, making me smile up at the ceiling.
"Don't worry about that, Adrian, I trust you. Actually, I trust you more than anyone else I've talked to so far after what happened," I told him, ignoring the way Jill seemed to smile brightly at me. Apparently, she was interested in my love life, she just already had plans on who I ended up with.
Adrian was silent after that for a few moments. "Glad to hear it, Sage. Even without your memories, you're still the same person in a way. It's hard to explain, but I think deep down inside, this was the real you that got hidden behind all the Alchemist superstitions and paranoia," he commented, sounding rather pleased with that fact. I didn't know if it was right or not, but I didn't have any issues with his comments. If anything, it reassured me that I was not going to regret anything I was doing right now. After all, if I did choose to trade my alchemy for my memories, I would still have to live with the choices I made while having amnesia.
Our conversation ended not long after that, since Adrian had to get to work on some research. Apparently, they were studying auras at the moment, trying to find any hint of spirit magic within. Part of me wondered how it could leave a tangible mark on someone, but when I thought about it, I realized that was not the case. Auras weren't even visible without moroi magic, so its effects were not part of the physical world. In the end, I understood the basic concept of what protected Lee, but I couldn't explain it to the others all that well.
At this point, I had missed all of my remaining classes except for my independent study with Ms. Terwilliger. Part of me felt guilty for skipping, but in my defense, I had a decent excuse. My 'brother' had called with a family emergency. He had gone through a traumatic experience, nearly losing his life. I had every right to excuse myself for that, at least I hoped I did. Walking into my last class, I saw my teacher look somewhat surprised to see me. "Ah, Miss Melbourne, I thought you were unwell since you weren't in my history class today," she stated, raising an eyebrow at me.
She was the only one who knew the truth about my family, so I didn't even have to bother with my cover story. "Issues with work, sorry," I told her, watching her nod. "Anyway, I had a few questions for you, about the magic you use," I told her, watching her smile grow.
"My, looks like someone has grown interested in the subject I teach. With how adept you are at it yourself, I'm rather surprised you'd come to me." she stated, while I sat down at her desk, pulling out the paper from my purse with the circle on it.
"Before I show you this, I want a guarantee that nothing we speak about will leave this room. You will not utilize this…magic, in any form, nor will you explain how to use it to others." I demanded, aware that this could be dangerous in the wrong hands. I didn't want people running around turning others into strigoi on a whim. It was immoral, and in the end, it would lead to the destruction of the human race.
My teacher nodded, looking serious and intrigued at the same time. "Sounds like you mean business. Just what are we dealing with, Miss Melbourne?" she asked. I had already given up on correcting her on my cover name, she never remembered it anyway.
"You've given me basic explanations of magic, of how it works and of some introductory spells, but I need to know more. This here is something big, that combines your magic with what I use," I told her, placing the picture down on her desk. She raised an eyebrow at me, looking doubtful at first as she inspected the picture. Slowly, her expression began to change, turning into one of confusion.
"It looks like the set-up for a spell, however, without knowing the ingredients used, or the incantation, I can't tell you much about it." Ms. Terwilliger explained, while I shook my head. I knew the result of the overall circle, I just needed to understand how magic affected the alchemy within. I was slowly beginning to understand that, while incredibly similar, magic and alchemy were different things. In many ways, magic differed by focusing on energy within an individual, using that to manipulate the world around them. Alchemy focused on the energy of the earth, drawing on that and activating it with a circle before any transmutation could occur.
"What if you knew the outcome of the spell? Could you utilize that to determine the components that were put into it?" I asked, watching her frown, studying the picture a bit more closely.
"Perhaps, though I can't give you any guarantees. I don't understand your process of using the earth's energy enough to provide an adequate guess." she stated, while I nodded, glancing down at it for a few moments.
"I've come to realize that what I do isn't magic, m'am, but something very closely related. This utilizes both arts, both magic and alchemy, to alter the human body, and with enough energy, it can even affect the soul," I began, watching her eyes grow wide with disbelief. "This spell is what created vampires in the first place, many years ago."
Ms. Terwilliger stared down at it again, still looking confused. "That makes little sense. All of these words are gibberish to me if that's what it accomplished. A spell like that…it would require either a great amount of energy, or a lot of preparation and ingredients before use." she stated, while I nodded, remembering what had happened to Ed, Al, and Winry. That spell had used a lot of energy, taking life from others to fuel the spell itself. Even when no one was in the circle, those casting it were left far more drained than they had been during the first transmutation.
"I think I understand the words to an extent. Typically, when using a circle of this nature in alchemy, there is a massive toll to pay. Human transmutation is what we call it, and it is the reason I lost my memory," I told her, watching Ms. Terwilliger stare at me with solemn eyes. "A typical goal of human transmutation is to bring the dead back to life, an impossible feat if the soul is no longer a part of our world. Alchemy operates on a single, irrefutable law that can even be applied to magic, the Law of Equivalent Exchange. You cannot create something without giving something in return, so if you wish to create life, to create a human soul, you need to sacrifice something of equal value," I told her, watching her face look grave.
"There is nothing that could pay that toll…there is no way to place a value on someone's soul," she said, sounding like she was already beginning to understand how much of a taboo this was.
I nodded, already feeling a weight settle on me as I thought about how much people had sacrificed for circles like this. People lost their lives, their limbs, and so much more simply to have the hope of seeing their loved ones again. "As I stated before, it is impossible to perform. However, even attempting it comes with a price, since you still gain knowledge beyond what anyone of this world knows. You see, this circle opens what I've come to know as the Gate of Truth, a place where all knowledge on alchemy exists, a place from just a small glimpse inside, you gain the ability to do impossible things."
"Your magic that you activated simply by clapping your hands….that is what you gain, isn't it?" she asked, while I nodded.
"Among other things, yes. Once you've gained this knowledge and paid your price, you return back to this world, and your life is never the same. The toll is never small, and it always ends up being something far more precious than the person doing the transmutation even realizes." I stated, thinking back to Ed and Al. Neither of them knew what they were getting involved in, yet they almost lost each other as a result.
Understanding that was enough to comprehend the writing, to an extent. "My belief is that the writing prevented the opening of the Gate, or at least, lessened the pull from that world. It also allowed them to transfer the toll, I believe that is how it should be read, rather than change. In the end, the victim paid a heavy price for this transmutation, not the alchemist performing it. Eternal life…well, that plays into the overall goal of this particular human transmutation circle. It was their end-goal, which they achieved when they added…an energy boost of sorts to the spell," I began, still frowning over the transfer of energy portion of the writing.
Ms. Terwilliger nodded, seeming to agree with my conclusion to that extent. "Yes, and it seems they transferred their energy as well, binding it internally to the target of their magic," she stated, leaving me feeling a bit lost. It must have shown on my face, because she smiled, shaking her head slightly. "I forget about how little you know of this, considering how much you can do. Magic, for humans, is external. We must rest it from the world to use it, which is why we have spells that utilize ingredients and chants to activate them. For vampires, it is internal, part of their very bodies and running in their blood even. It is why it comes to them so easily, why they don't experience the drain in energy like we do. My guess is that the transfer of energy is what made that internal magic they have, transferring the magic from the external world and forcing it inside of them," she stated, making me wonder why I thought understanding this would help.
I was still not quite following, trying to keep my link between alchemy and magic alive even with her words. Internal magic…it still followed the rules of alchemy, but it bypassed the need for a circle. Was that truly because of an internal connection to the earth? It made sense in a way, giving them something that already connected them with the energy channels around them, giving them free access when necessary.
"No…there's more to it than that." I realized, my eyes growing wide. "The stone, that's how it created it. The magic is what made it drain away the energy of others, or transfer it if you will, to another space." I stated, watching my teacher frown in confusion.
"Sorry, I left that part out. It was rather…disconcerting to hear myself, and I was hoping to leave it out of this. The circle…it created a stone, from people who were not safely in the center of it. In alchemy, the stone is typically called a philosopher's stone and can be used to bypass the Law of Equivalent Exchange. This is what allowed them to create the strigoi in the end, but the stone itself was strange compared to others like it. The longer people held it, the more energy they would lose and ultimately, using the stone for alchemy would result in your own death." I explained, watching my teacher look rather grave at my admission.
Her face looked dark, darker than I expected based on what I was describing. "The victims of this stone, was there anything strange about their appearance after they passed away?" she asked, her eyes narrowed at me. I realized she had a hunch, an idea of what could have happened with the circle, but I didn't have the answer she was looking for.
"I wasn't there…I can't exactly say. Regardless, I would still like to hear your theory," I told her, watching her get up with a sigh.
"There are people who use magic for evil, just as there are those that use it for good. There are spells out there designed to drain away the magic from others….and steal it for yourself. I imagine that this utilized a variation on that concept, which caused the transfers of both the toll you keep mentioning and the energy required to create a vampire in the first place," she stated. "There is one key element, however, that occurs whenever someone is drained of magic. Typically, it puts them into a coma rather than killing them, but I am willing to overlook it as a fact that this is draining far more than just magical ability. On top of that, the spell ages them, draining away their youth as well as their ability to wrest magic away from the world."
The very concept sounded horrifying, but it fit quite well. This was the spell that had been combined with alchemy to create vampires, I was certain of it. It drained the energy of others and gave it to the child in the center, giving her that natural connection to the energy of the world along with the incredible health that came along with being a vampire. Without sacrifices present, the energy had been stolen from every alchemist involved in creating the magical transmutation circle, but when Ed, Winry and Al had entered the circle, they had been used as a substitute. The only change had been to the spell had been a result of the use of alchemy, transforming the three into a philosopher's stone instead of putting them into a coma like usual victims.
Now, I understood the process involved. That was the first step, the next one was to find a way to reverse the process. It would be a long and hard road in front of me, all things considered. It had taken magic and alchemy to create that stone, so it was going to take both to reverse it as well. I just hoped I would be able to figure it out soon enough, because based on the look on Ms. Terwilliger's face, this state was not good for anyone to be in.
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