Chapter fifty-seven: The true knowledge
Everything around her was white. Coniniaue sat up. "Hello?" She called. She stood; her very movements echoed. She stood and turned around. Now, before her was a giant door. The pattern on it was exquisite, something you would see in a museum, or… a church. It opened. Tiny black hands snaked out and grabbed her, pulling her in. "NO! Not again!"
Hundreds of images flashed through her eyes. But these were only memories from after she saw the true knowledge before.
She was thrown out of the door, on her knees, panting.
"Long time no see, eh?"
She looked up. A golden material, in the shape of a human, floated before her. She glared at it, able to see the veins and blood it had stolen from her before. "YOU!" She growled. "Why did you take me here? I cannot die that way!"
"I know, haha. This is a NEAR DEATH experience. I'm here to take something else from you."
Coniniaue alchemized the knife one her hand again. "Not this time!" She jumped and hacked at the shape, feeling the knife quiver.
"OH HELL!" The shape began to vibrate. "DAMN YOU!"
He disappeared. And Coniniaue woke up.
Coniniaue grunted and pulled out the staff from her heart. When Edward saw Coniniaue struck down, he began very angry and went all out with the homunculi. But he was totally unprepared for what happened next. Coniniaue suddenly appeared on the roof, Renkinjutsu's staff in her hand. Her hand was placed over the hole in her chest where the staff was.
"Renkinjutsu." She said. There was power in her voice, limitless ambition. The homunculi stopped and everyone just stared, Lust about to extend her nails, Gluttony's teeth fastened around the knife from Edward's automail, Envy about to pounce on Edward, and Renkinjutsu about to attack. "You tried to kill me. Hah, idiot. I'm Coniniaue Elric, I must have a unique ability to be in the military. Renkinjutsu is the art of alchemy. An alchemist. But your alchemy is all fake. You use this staff to bypass the laws. But remember this, Renkinjutsu. The base law of alchemy is 'equivalent exchange.' That means that mankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return!" With those final words, Coniniaue lifted the staff and bashed the top into the roof, the red stone alchemy circle exploding into a thousand tiny pieces.
"My staff!" Renkinjutsu cried.
"Coniniaue!" Edward threw the homunculi off him and dashed to her side. He looked at her hand, his pupils widening.
"Coniniaue…"
"Yeah?"
"Your hand…"
Coniniaue too looked down at her hand.
"…Is bleeding."