Chapter 5: Training, Danger, and some History (I know you don't like History disneysheep. At least it's not physics.)

Disclaimer: Anything that you recognize from the game-not mine.

"Here, put your hands like this," Draven positioned his hands as if he were holding an imaginary ball. Fiona did the same, following his instructions. He then moved to stand behind her, holding her hands in place. "Now, concentrate on the ice, and relax. Just try to get it to hover between your hands." He didn't have to tell her to relax. The minute he had put his hands on hers, she was at ease. She felt safest around him, and couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose him.

She closed her eyes, concentrating on making the ice between her hands. After a few seconds, her hands became colder, the warmth from Draven's becoming more evident. She felt the cold get stronger, and opened her eyes to see that she had actually made the ice. It was a light blue color. It even gave off a faint light.

"Ok, concentrate on warm thoughts. Happy memories usually work best. Once you've done that, the ice should melt into water that you can control." She did as he said. She remembered how safe she felt in his hands, and how warm they felt on hers. She felt the cold going away and opened her eyes to see that there was a waterball floating between her hands. It was swirling in place, ready to receive instructions.

"I did it! Draven, look." That's when she noticed that his hands had disappeared, his warmth, gone. She turned around, still holding the water. What she saw crushed her heart.

Draven was lying on the floor, in a puddle of his own blood. He was paler than before and his clothes were red. There was a wound in his side, where the blood was flowing from. When it all registered in her mind, she felt the cold again. Her heart was aching, and the chill spread throughout her body, reaching her hands, making the water turn to ice again.

"NOOO!" She sat up, her tears frozen to her face. She had been crying in her sleep, and the ice inside her froze her tears. She looked around the suite, noticing that everything had a thin coat of ice. The room even looked blue. She had emitted ice in her sleep. Her powers were getting beyond her control, and quickly. "What have I done . . . ?" She looked down at her hands, not only referring to the ice in her room, but to everything that's happened. Fiona saw that her hands were coated in ice, too.

"What's wrong? I heard you scream." Bella rushed into the room, fireball in hand. She looked around, startled to see all the ice. Everything was ice. She then looked over at Fiona and saw that she had been crying, and was looking at her hands. She immediately guessed what had happened. Bella walked over to Fiona, and sat beside her. She put a comforting hand on her shoulder and began to ask her what happened.

"I-I had a dream about him. I was training, but he was helping me, then he disappeared and I saw him, dead." At the last word, she buried her face in her hands. She cried silently, the only sign of this was her trembling shoulders.

"It's ok, Fiona. There wasn't anything you could have done. You can't change what happened, remember? All we can do is hope for a better future, not dwell on the tragedies of the past. Give me your hands." Fiona did so and felt that Bella was defrosting them. The warmth went throughout her entire body and her tears melted as well. "Would you like me to fix your room? Or do you prefer to try to take the ice yourself?"

"Thanks, but I think I'll do it." Fiona got up. If she had emitted the ice, then she thought she should be able to take it back. She placed her hands on the window, where most of the ice was. She closed her eyes, relaxed, and took a deep breath. She opened her eyes and saw that the ice was no longer there. She had taken it all back in one breath.

"Wow, I couldn't take my fire back for a long time after knowing about it. Come on, you need breakfast." Bella left Fiona in the room, getting ready for breakfast. Fiona left her hair loose, and picked out a plain, black, knee-length skirt (skirts were all she had in the damn dresser!), and another medieval-style white shirt. She put on a pair of boots and walked out the room.

She walked down the stairs to the dining room and saw that Bella was already there with her food. She had cooked oatmeal. They finished eating, and Bella went to wash the dishes and clean, Fiona had not been able to convince her otherwise, and went to explore the castle, now that she didn't have anyone chasing her.

She was finally able to admire the design, the beauty, and the antiquity. The castle had to be from sometime in the Middle Ages. One could tell by the kind of clothes in Fiona's dresser. It was beautiful, though. She went to the study, eager to find a book that may help her situation. She once again found the book from before, and went on to read it.

Don't get me wrong, she wasn't going to try the resurrection, she was only going to read about it, wanting to know what could happen. She sat down, tuned out everything round her, and began to read. The book said that, in alchemy, in order to receive something, another thing of equal value had to be given up. In other words, in order to give life, one had to take it.

Theoretically speaking, one would have to take their own life, as it would be the only thing of enough value capable of being given up. That would, in turn, defeat the purpose of the resurrection, as most people seek to perform it in order to reunite with a lost loved one. There have also been instances where a person was brought back, but not thoroughly. Their body was reanimated, but it was just a shell of who they once were. There were no emotions, expressions. This also defeats the purpose.

There has never been a person capable of bringing someone back. Many have tried, failing very quickly. This ceremony is not for someone who values morality and mortality. Along with seeking immortality, resurrecting a person is impossible. One cannot toy with life.

Well, I suppose that's the end of that, she thought. She had experienced the impossibility of immortality herself. She should have known. If she tried this, she would end up just like her ancestor, taking someone's life for no reason, seeking life. She pushed the thoughts out of her mind, putting the book back on the shelf and leaving the room. She walked around a little more, noticing how some of the rooms and halls were damaged and messy. She decided to go see if Bella would lend her some things to clean with, trying to keep her mind off Draven and his death. She reached the kitchen, where Bella was mopping.

"Ah, Fiona. Ready to get some more training done?"

"Actually, I was wondering if I could help clean up the house a bit. Do you have any supplies I can use?"

"That's what your training will be. I'm going to teach you how to use your power to move objects less forcibly."

"Alright, where do we start?" Bella grabbed a can and motioned for Fiona to follow her. They walked through the halls until they came to a room that brought Fiona a disturbing memory. They came to the room where Fiona had seen Daniella being beaten by Riccardo. There was some blood on the floor, and it was a total mess. Bella set down the can and began to instruct her.

"Now, all you need to do is tap into your fear. Once you have it under control, channel it into energy. When you do, just concentrate on the object you want to move. Ready? Go." Fiona followed her instructions and was surprised to see that she could actually control it. "Ok. Move the chandelier into the air, and hold it steady. When I say go, switch your concentration to the can, and move it to the spot right below from the chandelier." Fiona moved the chandelier, holding it in the air. After a few seconds, Bella gave her the signal, and she let go, concentrating on the can, and moving it as she had been told. Bella had thrown a fireball, burning the chandelier to ashes, which fell right into the can. "Very good. Just repeat the process with everything else in the room." She did as she was told. They got rid of everything except the typewriter and the table it was on. They even burned the curtains, letting the light completely flood the room.

"What now?"

"Now, we have a decent area to practice. It's dangerous in the garden, and you never know who may pass by and see flashes of red and blue. This way, we can practice without fear of exposure. Come on, we need to put a few things in the room." They went to a storage room that Fiona hadn't seen before and took a table, two chairs, and a mattress and cushions. They went back and arranged them in the room so that the table and chairs were on one side, and the rest took up the other side, leaving a large space in the middle.

"What do we need all of this for?"

"Well, the table and chairs are for us to eat lunch here, and the rest is for your meditation. You need to meditate to keep your abilities in check. The large area in the middle is for combat practice."

"What do I need combat practice for?"

"Something bad is going to happen soon, and you have to be prepared for it. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, but I needed to wait for the right moment."

"What's going to happen?"

"A war. There are beings called Grand Alchemists. Areoulis Belli sought to be one, which is why he wanted immortality. He was very powerful, but was still hungry for more. To become a Grand Alchemist, one has to be immortal. The thing that he did not understand was that you had to be chosen. Only a select few every hundred years are chosen. Belli lived through clones for a long time, but was not chosen. You father, he was picked, but declined, much to Belli's chagrin. That's why he ran away. The current immortals spent a long time trying to convince him, but never did. They ended up searching for a new candidate, but didn't find one, until now."

"Who?"

"You, of course! Draven was also supposed to become one, but . . ." she trailed off, not sure if she should say the words out loud.

"Go on."

"So, now you have to train to become one. The war is going to happen amongst all of the candidates. You have to be prepared for anything. You will have to complete three tests. Very few are able to succeed in completing the first one, let alone the other two. If you do, you are granted immortality and more power. That's what Belli had sought after."

"Do I have a choice in this?"

"I suppose you do. Your father turned them down, nothing says that you can't too."

"I-I don't know. I really don't have much left, do I? I would hate to live on and lose you, though."

"Don't worry. Once you are a Grand Alchemist, you may choose to have a friend accompany you during your life."

"Really? Then why did my father decline if he would not be alone?"

"I suppose he wanted to bring both you and his wife."
"Oh. In that case, I suppose I should try to be one."

"Excellent. Your training begins immediately." She walked over to the meditation area, sitting with her legs crossed and signaling for Fiona to do the same. Fiona followed and saw that Bella had closed her eyes. She did the same. "Now, take in deep breaths, allow your body to relax, and empty your mind. Once you have, concentrate on the energy around you and around me, our auras. To be able to survive, you have to be able to see a person's power, strength. Being able to detect people's aura is key." Fiona did as she was told, making sure to keep all her senses alert. After a while, she began to feel her skin tingling, as she felt her energy. She also felt something pulsating off Bella. She opened her eyes to see that she had a kind of reddish glow around her. It had swirling lights and encased Bella completely. She supposed that this was her aura. She looked down at her hands and saw that her aura was a dark blue, almost black. She guessed it was like this because of her recent heartache, combined with her ice.

"Bella, I can see your aura now." She opened her eyes and was a bit taken aback at how easy this was for her charge.

"Really? What color are yours and mine?"

"You are red and I am an extremely dark blue."

"What does my color signify?"

"The fire you can make and control, along with physical strength. It also shows that you are short tempered."

"Amazing. No one's ever caught on to this that quickly. I like the progress we're making. This will definitely give you the upper hand."

"Thanks. What now?"

"Now, it's time for lunch. Then you can have some free time before we spar, so that I can show you a few fighting moves." Fiona nodded and went to sit at the table. Bella had said that she would go to the kitchen to get lunch.

Bella was beginning to worry. Fiona was learning much too fast, and she was afraid that the power would overwhelm her, like so many before her. She did not want Fiona's heart to freeze, her aura to become black. If that happened, Fiona wouldn't do any good as a Grand Alchemist. She would end up power hungry, longing to be complete. She would never find what she needed, she would become an empty void, taking everything with her. She had the potential to become the best of the best, but it would be ruined if Bella could not stop her heart from freezing over in despair.

She needed help. She needed a way to get through to Fiona. Sure, Fiona wasn't guarded now and she kept reassuring Bella that she would be fine. Bella had actually believed that she may rise above her sadness for a while, until that morning. The last thing she needed was another person who felt incomplete.

She sighed heavily, all she could do was continue to train her. If not for her sake then for Fiona's. Fiona needed a goal, a distraction. This training would be perfect. She just prayed that the power and despair she held would not control her.

She got the food from the kitchen and went back to the room. Just as she was about to go into the training room, she felt a warm breeze and the presence of someone behind her. If it was dangerous, she couldn't tell. She slowly set the food down and turned around, falling into her fighting stance. She saw a shadow around the corner, and went to check what it was. She pressed her body back against the wall, looking around the corner. There, in the middle of the hallway, was a homonculus. It wasn't one of the little ones, but the ones that resembled a human. It was walking around sniffing for something, searching. She made slight move toward it and it sensed her. It turned to look at her. It had no face, but she could tell it was looking straight at her. It ran at her, attempting to attack. She was a bit surprised, but managed to recover and dodged it. Unfortunately, she did not move fast enough, and it managed to hurt her arm, making her bleed.

"Damn." Her arm now lay limp at her side, unmovable from the pain. She used her other hand to shoot a fireball, killing the homonculus. She heard a thud, and the grunts of other homonculus. She went straight to the room where she had left Fiona, and saw that there were two homonculus there, on the floor, dead. She looked over to Fiona and saw that she was in a fighting stance, facing the door. "It's just me. I think we may need to speed up your training, although you pretty much proved yourself by killing these two." This greatly worried Bella, but she didn't show it.

"What are they doing here and why did they attack?"

"I suppose the immortals have started the war early. Our test begins-" She didn't get to finish her sentence. She collapsed, fainting. They both did. But, as quickly as they lost consciousness, they regained it. They had passed out in order for the Grand Alchemists to pass on their instructions. They were to escape the castle, ridding it and the mansion of any homonculus they can find. Once they were finished, they had to go into the forest. There was a shrine deep in the woods, waiting for them, signaling the end of the first challenge.

"W-Was that an immortal?" She had heard a very deep voice in her head.

"Yes, your test has begun Fiona. I'm surprised I have been allowed to assist you. It doesn't matter now, though. We have to finish the task at hand." They headed for their separate rooms, agreeing to meet back there. They needed to change if they were going to fight more homonculus.

This isn't good, the battle's begun way too soon. I hope Fiona can handle it. Damn it! Draven, we need you now more than ever. Bella was getting changed, noticing that her bed had new clothes on it. She took it and saw that it looked a bit like modern clothes. It was a pair of black pants, combat boots, black shirt, and a pair of black gloves. There was also a set of dark, blood red armor waiting for her. It was light, yet sturdy, capable of protecting her against strong attacks. She looked like a female knight, except that the armor did not bulge out, but was smooth and comfortable. She finished adjusting her armor and saw that there was a bow and a quiver of arrows waiting for her at the door. She took the quiver and strapped it to her waist, and held her bow in her hand. It was an amazing design, with a rose carved along the wood. Taking one last look at her room, she turned and left.

Better sooner than later, I suppose. I wonder what will happen when I win? Maybe I'll have enough power to bring Draven back . . . Fiona also found new clothes that were similar to Bella's. The difference was that her shirt and gloves were gray and her armor was a dark blue that looked more like black. She went over to the bureau, grabbed a ribbon, and tied her hair back. She turned to leave, noticing a rapier near the door. She unsheathed it and admired the beautiful silver blade. She could clearly see her reflection in it. She put it back in the sheathe and strapped it onto her waist. Taking a look around the room for anything that could be potentially useful, she left closing the door behind her.

Something inside her was changing. She used to hate violence, would try her best not to resort to it, but she was looking forward to the carnage ahead. They met up in the training room and decided to draw up a plan.

CLIFFIE! YAY! I'm not too sure if this is a good chapter, but I hope you like it. I still feel as if I'm going WAY off-topic. What do you think? Please review!