Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Bloodlines or Fullmetal Alchemist
It was decided that for now, Ed and his family would be staying with Adrian in his apartment. It wasn't the best situation for everyone, considering Adrian's place wasn't that large, but it was the only solution we had. At the very least, they had a roof over their heads and a place to eat. Part of me was relived that they were there for Adrian, too. He had just lost his father, and even though he was doing his best to act fine and cheerful, I knew he was hurting inside.
I knew next to nothing about their plans to go after the Alchemists, and to be honest, I wasn't expecting to be included in their ideas either. Weeks had gone by since we returned, and they had a tendency to stick to themselves, hiding in Adrian's apartment. Lee lived with his father now, still being studied as a former strigoi, and Sonya was preparing to leave for her wedding. Things had been going rather smoothly, with no problems, at least that was what I thought.
I arrived at Adrian's house as usual, to drop off Eddie and Jill for their spirit study. Zoe was right behind me, staying close to my side and as far away from the vampires as possible. Stepping inside, I saw Dimitri pacing the room, looking furious and worried. "Tell him to knock it off, he's getting on my nerves with all that movement! How can I think with all the noise he's making with his feet?" Ed asked, glaring over at Dimitri.
"Calm down, Short Stack, we've got an actual problem to deal with here." Adrian stated, ignoring the glare he had earned from Ed. Adrian had never let up on his constant nicknames for the guy, all surrounding his height. Eventually, Ed realized his violence was getting him nowhere in stopping the torment, but that didn't mean he didn't get irritated every time Adrian used one of his 'clever' nicknames for the alchemist.
Ed frowned, shaking his head at Adrian. "Nah, I'm sure she's fine. The Warriors might seem tough and all, but they're a bit showy these days. Last I heard, they have massive tournaments to decide who is worthy of being a part of them. They're almost as stupid as the Alchemists," he insisted, earning himself a glare from Zoe.
"Wait, back up a second. What is wrong?" I asked, while Zoe seemed to have other concerns at the moment.
"Warriors? Who are they?" she asked. I realized that no one here recognized that name, not even the vampires in the room. Of course they weren't well known, they were just as hidden as the Alchemists were. You had to be a part of them in order to know what they were, and this group had never even encountered one of them. I only knew about them because of Ed, and Adrian knew too because I had given him a brief explanation of the story I had been given.
Al shrugged, sitting next to his brother on the floor with books sprawled out in front of them. They had been rather invested in this research, whatever it was, but now it seemed like they weren't going to be able to continue. "They're sort of like the Alchemists, but they think it is better to kill the vampires rather than hide them. Don't worry too much about it, they're focused on strigoi first," Al explained, watching as Dimitri and Eddie both tensed at his words. His final comment didn't seem to ease that tension, though, and they shared a look. I knew that this was Guardian business now, that they were planning out a way to keep us safe from humans too.
Winry wasn't in the room, and part of me wondered what she was up to, but I decided it wasn't worth the question. After all, we clearly had other things to deal with. I opened my mouth, about to offer my help in finding Sonya, when I remembered Zoe was by my side. Locating Sonya would involve magic, and with how clingy Zoe was, I didn't know if I would be capable of using it. "I tried reaching her in a dream, but she's either too drugged to be pulled into one, or she's simply not sleeping," Adrian stated, grimacing slightly. He was worried about his friend as well, and with good reason.
"Adrian, we will find her," I told him, watching as Ed glanced up at me, looking interested.
"Wait, you know a locator spell? Come on, why didn't you say something earlier? You could have saved us all of this time we spent trying to translate this crappy language of yours." Ed stated, throwing one of the books at me. I blinked a few times, wondering how he had figured out what I meant, until I saw exactly what he had been reading. These were the spell books Ms. Terwilliger gave me to study for my class, though they were supposed to be in my room.
"Don't ask how they got them, Sage, even I haven't figured it out," Adrian whispered, while I shook my head in exasperation. Ed was being an idiot, not realizing that Zoe could not find out about human magic, in any form. His words already made her entire body stiffen, her eyes wide with fear over the idea of breaking the laws of nature that she saw as the highest power in the world.
"Spell? No…we don't really need magic to fix this….do we?" Zoe asked, probably thinking it was moroi magic and ignoring the idea that I was the one aware of how to do it. She was too fixated on the magic part for the moment, but it only took her a few seconds to realize exactly what he had said. "Wait, Sydney knows the spell? That's impossible, humans can't use magic."
"Correct, which is why I am rather curious to know why you are researching any of this. They were books I was assigned to read for my independent study, as a tool to learn about history, not actual spells," I told Ed, giving him a harsh look that he seemed to completely ignore. Either he wasn't good at reading signals, or he simply didn't care.
Al seemed too absorbed in the book he was reading to pay attention, using a dictionary on the floor to translate it onto a separate paper in english. Those translations were going to be terrible, but there was no way I was going to try and stop him at the moment. "Stop the bullshit, Sydney, we've got someone's life on the line. I don't care about how you want to protect your precious image, not when it puts someone else in danger," Ed insisted, glaring up at me.
With a sigh, I sat down and began opening one of the books, flipping to the page he was looking for. "There, that one is supposedly able to locate someone. Be my guest and try it, don't complain to me when it fails," I told him, watching him snort and shake his head.
"Guys, this is just crazy! Humans can't use magic, I thought you understood at least that much already," Zoe insisted, while the others were staying out of the argument. Jill looked uncomfortable with it, seeming to be trying to hide from sight, while Eddie was frowning thoughtfully at our debate.
Ed grinned, standing up and stretching out his arms as he did so. "Alright, I guess I could use a break from reading. Come on, I'll show you exactly what I'm talking about," he insisted, making me groan.
"Ed, enough. Do you really want the Alchemists finding out about this?" I asked him, giving up on my pretense of ignorance. Zoe blinked over at me in surprise, looking confused.
"Sydney, you know it's not real, right? I mean, the Alchemists have told us that magic is wrong and unnatural, and we are…" she began, trailing off as she glanced at her companions right now. Even if she was a bit more open about her distaste for vampires than most Alchemists, she did have her limits.
I shook my head at her, a grimace forming on my face. "They also claim that vampire hunters aren't real, yet take a look at who kidnapped Sonya. The Alchemists live in a web of lies, even their own members don't know what is truth and what is a lie when their superiors give them a story," I told her, watching her eyes narrow at me.
"Wait…you actually believe them entirely! You think the Alchemists need to be torn apart, and that vampires are actually good people," Zoe said, finally realizing what was going on. I nodded slowly, noticing how Dimitri seemed to become interested at this point.
"Reform the Alchemists? Just what did you have in mind?" he asked, looking concerned. I glanced over at Ed and Al, the two that were actually heading that project. I had stayed out of it, not knowing which side to take. I knew which side I believed was right, but I couldn't bring myself to betray Zoe, not when there was a chance of convincing her of our side still.
"Not the problem right now. Besides, they've had sticks up their asses for so long that they probably won't even believe a word we say," Ed commented, shaking his head as he pulled something out from his pocket. I recognized it, a spell that took quite some time to prepare, but could be cast in an instant. With an incantation added to the herbs mixed within, it could cause blindness to anyone standing within fifteen feet of the caster.
I glared at him, not happy with this plan to show Zoe magic. "Try something less extreme, Ed. Do you really want to find out what happens when a Guardian gets hit with something like that?" I asked, watching him actually look even more tempted by the idea.
Realizing that he wasn't going to back down, I decided to stop him before he could get anywhere. With a small incantation, and a rather decent drop in my own energy, I used a spell to target only Ed, blinding him and only him, instead of everyone in the area. "It is't all that pleasant, is it? I suggest having some consideration for others before acting, Ed," I told him, watching as he began stumbling around, unable to see where he was going.
Now I just had to do something a bit more visible to show them magic. Ed's condition wasn't exactly obvious, even though his swearing and yelling made his anger quite clear. He was even reaching out, swinging like he thought he would actually hit me when no one was anywhere near him. It only sent him sprawling onto the ground, amusing the others slightly even if they had no idea what had happened.
Just as I got an idea of what spell to use, someone else walked inside. "Ed, I've got your books for you. Man, this is easier than I thought it would be," a voice called out, one that sounded far too familiar. Glancing in the doorway, I saw another me standing in the entrance, though the necklace around her neck told me that wasn't the case. Zoe screamed, jumping away from her and trying to find someplace to hide. She originally tried going to me for help, but after seeing the second me, she looked unsure of who to trust.
"That's how you've been getting them? Where did you even learn how to make that charm in the first place?" I demanded, glaring over at Ed. As long as someone looked like me, and based on who was absent I'd say it was Winry, it would be quite simple to get into my dorm room. The teachers would probably let her inside, if she claimed she couldn't find her key.
"Well, we weren't going to break in at first, but that was before we met Jackie." Al stated, beginning his tale. I frowned at the name, not really knowing who it was. "She said she was teaching you magic, and when we showed an interest, she was eager to introduce us to it. She even gave us this translation book to help, though I still can't make sense of much of this."
"Hey, I made sense of the two we actually managed to make! How do you think Winry was able to master that disguise?" Ed countered, finally managing to get back up as his sight returned. He was sitting up now, frowning as he stared over at us. He looked a bit irritated still, but he was calming down.
"H-hold on, all of you just shut up! Why are there two of you? Where is my sister?" Zoe demanded, her voice and body shaking. I stared at her, unsure of how to calm her down.
"Man, this is exactly why I say the Alchemists are idiots these days. Glad I'm not one of them anymore, I got out just in time." Ed commented, this time making Zoe turn towards him in surprise.
I knew what she was looking for, any hint of a golden tattoo on his cheek that never existed for him. "Wait….that can't be, you don't have…" she mumbled, but I was focused on ending the confusion of who was the real Sydney. Walking over to Winry, I grabbed her necklace and pulled it off, ending the spell quite effectively. She didn't seem to mind, looking rather embarrassed at having been caught in the act.
"Sorry, Sydney, Ed made me do it. He said it could help, that if he knew magic, he might be able to find a way to get inside of the Alchemists' organization to influence them," she explained, handing me the book with a frown on her face. I didn't even try reaching out for it, not too concerned about the books. After all, they weren't mine, and my instructor seemed to have loads of them stored away.
Zoe was on the verge of hyperventilation now, her eyes wide as she tried to comprehend what was going on in front of her. "Hey, calm down kid. I told you, this isn't that big of a deal. As for my relationship with the Alchemists….let's just say it's complicated," Ed told her, trying to calm her down.
I knew it wouldn't work, though, my mind coming up with a better way to calm her. "Zoe, this isn't as unnatural as you might think. Tell me about the law of conservation of matter, and the law of conservation of energy." I told her, watching her take a deep breath and nod.
"Matter and Energy, neither of them can be created or destroyed, they only change forms." she insisted, as I nodded in agreement. "That's why magic is so unnatural, it breaks the laws of nature like that—" she began, but I raised a hand to cut her off.
"Not quite, you just have to view it a bit differently. Yes, Winry did make herself appear like me, but what you could not see was the energy that was put into that illusion. It was created by energy, still conserving everything just with a price that could not be seen." I insisted, though she still did not seem convinced.
I sighed, shaking my head as I thought of another way. Perhaps a more accurate demonstration of this principle would be alchemy, even though it technically was not magic. It looked close enough to it that she should believe it. "If that isn't enough, how about this." I told her, clapping my hands together and keeping it simple. I pulled the gold from my tattoo again, watching Zoe gasp in surprise at the color change, as well as the formation of a small golden orb in my hand.
"The gold never vanishes completely, simply taking on another form. I can do the same thing in reverse, too." I told her, doing just that. I had been prepared for the sting of the transmutation both times, and it stopped me from wincing at it, though I knew my cheek had to be red from my actions. "Even with magic, you cannot gain something from nothing. A price of equal value must always be paid." I told her, watching as Zoe nodded, looking somewhat more relieved now.
"So…magic really is natural. I can't believe I never noticed before…" she whispered, looking interested now. I had no intention of training her in alchemy, but her interest was better than her hatred. "The Alchemists really are wrong, either that or they've been lying to all of us. I….I'm sorry for not believing you, Sydney." Zoe stated, looking upset with herself.
Dimitri and Eddie were shocked too, though, watching silently as I calmed my sister down. "What on earth did you learn when you lost your memory? The Sydney I knew would never have been able to find a way to rationalize magic," Eddie asked, making me stiffen slightly. Ed reacted as well, glancing over at Eddie sharply with a look of discomfort. He understood my reasons for hiding this, because he had gone through it himself.
"Don't bother trying, she isn't going to tell us anything. I've been trying since day one to figure out how she lost her memory. Don't make up any more stories about how you don't know, Sydney, because I've seen you wake up screaming in the middle of the night. You know what happened, you just won't tell anyone," Zoe insisted, sounding somewhat bitter over the secrets I kept from her.
Adrian patted her arm, making her flinch slightly. "It isn't anything personal, Sage Junior, it's just something that isn't all that pleasant to talk about," he told her, making the other's stare at him in shock.
"Wait, she told you what happened?" Eddie demanded, clearly trying to figure out when I had the time to do this. I had been stuck with Zoe over the last month, unable to break free and talk to Adrian or the others alone. It made things a bit more tense between us, and it left me wanting to see Adrian that much more. I missed him, and I wanted to actually be able to do something with our relationship, instead of having to hide it all the time. Adrian didn't even seem to know that I wanted to move forward, keeping his distance for the most part since Ed had been restored.
Adrian glanced over at me, looking apologetic for his words. "Eh, not quite. I found her after she lost her memory, and I saw…well, let's just say I understand why she can't sleep at night." he stated, looking a bit disturbed by what he remembered. He had it easier, only knowing of the thing that I had created. Glancing over at him, I decided that perhaps he didn't realize exactly what had happened when I used the circle.
"Remember what happened to me in San Diego?" I asked Adrian, watching his body stiffen, looking tense as he nodded. "Similar process, only much quicker and more severe." I told him, watching Adrian stare at me, with concern in his eyes.
"Wait, I thought you said you were fine after San Diego? Weren't you just attacked by some crazy spirit user or something?" Zoe asked, looking confused. The others were just as lost, all except Ed, Al, and Winry.
"As much as I'd love to hear this story, I think we should be focusing on Sonya. Sydney, if you really can find her, please do so. We have no idea where she is, or what is going on with her." Eddie pleaded, looking desperate to help their friend. Zoe looked a bit hesitant as well, before resting her hand on my shoulder.
"It'll be okay, I won't tell them. That's what you're afraid of, isn't it? You don't want the Alchemists to know about this," Zoe stated, sounding like she was beginning to understand. Ed grinned over at her, patting her head as he stepped closer to her.
"Finally, the girl is beginning to see the light! I thought you'd never come around. Once you've begun to like vampires, maybe I'll tell you a bit more about what I know of the Alchemists," he added, giving her a smirk as he played on her curiosity. Zoe glanced over at the others, looking uncomfortable with it at first, before nodding, giving me a small smile as she did so.
"Stop teasing her, Ed. She's already stressed out enough," Winry insisted, while Ed shrugged, not looking too concerned.
"Okay, you want me to find Sonya?" I asked them, getting us focused once more. They all nodded, and I took a deep breath, already knowing what I'd need. I began listing things off, which Dimitri wrote down so he could go get them from the store. "Oh, and Adrian? This is going to sound rather strange…but I believe I'll be needing your hairbrush."
He raised an eyebrow at me, shaking his head. "What is it with girls and wanting to use my hairbrush? My devilishly handsome good looks don't come from a good comb, Sage," he insisted, making me roll my eyes at him as he got up to grab it for me.
"I thought she might have used it during her time here." I told him, grabbing it with a smile as I managed to find a strand of Sonya's hair, quite a bit off from the color and length of Adrian's.
He watched me pull it out, taking his brush back when I was done. "So, is this going to actually be magic, or more of that alchemy stuff that you insist is completely different?" he asked me, while I sighed, noticing that Zoe looked confused.
"Alchemy doesn't work, it isn't real. That is an art that humans used in ancient times, believing they could turn lead into gold and, possibly more unbelievable than that belief, they thought they could find the key to eternal life by using it," she insisted, clearly sounding confident in her answer.
Ed's expression darkened, just like mine did. We both knew that alchemy had accomplished that goal, just with a high price like everything else. "They didn't just try to gain immortality, some of them actually succeeded," Ed commented, glaring at the floor. Zoe choked slightly, staring at him with a stunned look on her face.
"Not now, Ed. Zoe, alchemy is complicated and focuses far more on the rule I was explaining earlier than even magic does," I told her, watching her nod, still a bit confused but accepting it as the truth.
"If that's true, what was the price for immortality? Seems like it's rather hard to find something of equal value to that." she argued, while I stared over at Ed, wishing he had just kept his mouth shut for once.
"A soul, as well as the continued sacrifice of the lives of others." I told her, watching her frown in confusion at first, until she figured out exactly what I was implying.
Ed glared at the ground, still looking angry. "I should have done something, at least tried to anyway," he stated, sounding upset with himself. Adrian glanced over at him, sighing as he shook his head in response.
"Nah, don't beat yourself up, Short Stack. You were trapped in that godforsaken rock back then, it's not like you could fight like that." Adrian insisted, still leaving Zoe confused. We had a little bit of time, considering we were waiting for Dimitri to return with the ingredients, but I still didn't want us to get too involved in this conversation.
"Adrian is right, Brother. There was nothing we could do, we were just as helpless as we were when we lost our bodies the first time." Al insisted, watching as Ed's hands clenched into fists.
"Because of us, people lost their very souls and countless others lost their lives. If we hadn't been there…if we had just died instead of becoming that fucking stone, none of them would even exist!" Ed insisted, making Winry and Al both flinch at his anger.
"Perhaps, but that cannot be said for sure. They would have continued their experiments regardless of your actions, and in the end, they would have found a way to create the strigoi," I told him, watching Ed stare at me, taking a deep breath and nodding in agreement. We might not like each other most of the time, and we got on each others' nerves quite well, but this was the one thing we agreed on. Lives were an important thing that had to be protected, and in the end, we both knew far more about the darkness in this world than we would like to admit.
"Sydney, you're going to help us, right? You understand why the Alchemists need to change, more than anyone else here." Ed asked, sounding eager for my help. Winry made an annoyed sound from behind him, making Ed glance at her. She seemed angry with Ed, and it took me a moment, but I figured out what was going on. She was jealous, thinking he was too interested in me. I stepped away from Ed immediately, uncomfortable with the idea of that. There was no way I'd be with someone like him, not when my heart already was with someone else.
Adrian smirked over at me, laughing at the situation that he was seeing unfold. "Man, why is it that I find love triangles everywhere I go? First Hathaway, now I get to see it with you, I'm like a magnet for romantic problems, aren't I?" he insisted, while I felt heat rush into my cheeks. I definitely did not need him pointing it out even more, and Winry's pink cheeks told me she wanted to try and be subtle as well.
Ed looked a bit surprised, standing up straight and looking innocent. "I-I wasn't doing anything like that! Honest, I'm not interested in her at all." Ed insisted, and Adrian smirked over at him.
"Rest assured, I am well aware of that fact. Magical aura reading abilities give me quite a bit of insight into what's going on inside your head, though I still find it strange. You and Al both have the same darkness as Sage in your auras." he commented, shrugging. "I guess that creepy place Sage mentioned really does have something to do with it, though I'm still doubtful of it being related to anyone that's shadow-kissed."
Jill grinned over at Adrian, seeming pleased by what she had seen through his eyes. It was the first thing she had done to react to us all night, having been fairly quiet and uncertain of herself around Ed, Al, and Winry. "I could have told you that there was nothing to worry about," she insisted, while Adrian snorted, his gaze flickering over to me briefly before smiling at his friend again.
"Nah, don't wanna put you on the spot like that, Jailbait," he insisted, managing to make Ed grin in amusement at her nickname.
"Finally, someone else knows my pain! Tell him to stop with the stupid names already." Ed insisted, while Jill blinked in surprise, glancing over at Adrian for a moment before shaking her head.
"Sorry, he's rather determined to keep them," she told him, while Ed stared at her, frowning in confusion. "Sorry, I'm shadow-kissed, still kind of getting used to its effects," she told them, this time managing to make Al sputter and Ed stare at her with wide eyes.
Winry just clutched her hand to her chest, looking heartbroken for the girl. "You…died? But you're so young, how did that even happen?" Ed demaned, before Al nudged his arm.
"Be polite, Brother, she probably doesn't want to talk about it." Al told him, while Jill shrugged, her eyes getting that haunted look I had seen every so often after her nightmares. While I didn't see her after them anymore, I still remembered the way she reacted to those realistic dreams.
"It's complicated, involving the moroi and their politics actually. However, I don't think you quite understand what she means when she says she's still getting used to it." I told him, watching Ed shrug, not looking too worried. "I told you there was a heavy price to pay to bring the dead back to life. I suppose it is similar to what you did, binding a soul to something in order to keep it in this world." I began, watching as Ed glanced at me with interest.
"Sage, that has got to be the worst explanation ever for this. Stop trying to make connections between alchemy and magic, it'll just confuse everyone." Adrian insisted, but Ed actually looked like he understood.
"Her soul….once her body was healed, it could still animate it, but it needed something to ground it to this place, and prevent it from leaving again." Ed stated, sounding like he understood. I nodded, glancing towards Adrian with a slight frown.
"That's probably the best way to look at it, with the mindset that we have from alchemy. Essentially, he bound her soul to his own, and that led to the creation of a bond of sorts between them. Jill can sense Adrian's thoughts and feelings, though she can't exactly control when it happens." I explained, watching as they stared at her with wide eyes.
Al seemed the most interested, having experienced something somewhat similar at one point. "So, magic can do even that, huh? Wish it had been around when Brother and I tried to…." he started, trailing off as he glanced at Ed. Ed touched his metal leg, looking a bit bitter but determined to move forward.
"No, you don't. We were made who we are today because of that day, Brother. Never forget what we learned back then, because it shaped our beliefs then and it continues to affect us even now. I don't think any of us that have seen the Truth will ever be able to go back to who we once were, but that isn't a bad thing. We're stronger as a result, and we can withstand anything the world has to throw at us." Ed insisted, glancing over at me with a nod of understanding. Al seemed to hear his words and agree as well, smiling and nodding at his brother. The three of us hardly knew each other, but Ed was right. We were forever bound by this one act that had transformed us all. In the end, I could already see how it would shape my life. I was no longer going to be a pawn of the Alchemists, not when I had seen exactly what they were. I would embrace my new powers, and follow my heart, doing what I felt was right regardless of what my previous ties had been. I was going to take on the Alchemists, and with Ed, Al, and Winry by my side, I felt confident that we could actually win.
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