My body materialized, and I felt myself falling, and I panicked, bracing myself for impact. The ground rushed up to meet me quickly, and I cried out in pain as my body bashed into the ground like a broken rag doll. That's definitely going to bruise. My shoulder throbbed painfully, and I winced, wishing I had healed myself when I had the chance.
"Lynette!" A familiar voice cried out, and I heard someone rush to my side. I opened my eyes only to see Ed leaning over me, his eyebrows furrowed in worry. His golden eyes wandered all over my body, checking my condition. "Are you alright?" I gave him a weak smile, feeling my heart waver at his care for me.
He put a hand behind my back and helped me sit up, and I felt like I wanted to throw up. My head was dizzy, not only from my condition, but from all the feelings that raced through my hand, gnawing at my determination. The longing that hit me upside the face, the hesitation forming shackles around my heart, and sweat beaded on my forehead.
I sucked in a breath sharply, raising my hand only to slap some sense into me.
"What are you doing?!" Ed yelled, holding my hand tenderly. His exclamation made my nausea worse, and I felt like I'd pass out from stress.
No, I can't. I felt my determination fight the feeling of weakness. I can't do this now. My will had never been broken before, and I wasn't going to falter now, not when I had gotten so far. I staggered to my feet, with Ed watching me carefully as I did so.
"I'm fine," I said, brushing off his hands. I could feel his concerned golden eyes drilling into my form, but I discarded my awareness of that, taking a few steps closer to the shadow where a dark figure stood, watching us intently. "Father." I addressed the person in the darkness. He stepped into the light, smiling victoriously.
"Five of you are here now," He said. Izumi and Ed gasped upon seeing Hohenheim half-absorbed into Father's black body. I held up a hand, interrupting what Father was about to say next.
"I beg to differ," I said, pointing to an unmoving Alphonse. "He's still a little bit occupied at the moment." Father narrowed his eyes and me, and I shrugged. I winced, making note that shrugging is not something to do when you have a stab wound in your shoulder. "But, if you guys don't mind, I'd have something really important that I'd like to say." I took everyone's silence as a 'go ahead', so I decided to continue.
"Izumi, it was nice to finally meet you," I said, smiling at her. "You're very admirable." I threw a glance back at Al. "Alphonse, if you can hear me, I just want to say that I loved you like my own brother." I looked back to Father, but focusing on Hohenheim. "Hohenheim, I'm sorry that I never tried to get along with you, and I'm sorry that I didn't get the chance to earn your approval." I looked at Ed, and gave him the most loving smile of them all. "Ed... I love you." Ed's eyes furrowed, confused at what I was getting at.
"What are you planning?" Father asked, frowning. I turned back to him.
"All of these people have made sacrifices for things they love," I said, my brown eyes set. "They've all made sacrifices for the sake of people they loved. All, except for me." My smile quivered, "And its about time that I made my sacrifice." Father was unsettled by my words, and I felt something odd bubble up in me, something that overwhelmed my feeling of anxiety, something that overpowered my hesitation. It was strange, but at least, it made the pain go away.
"You want to know what I'm planning?" A strangled, slightly insane laugh escaped my throat. I felt my feelings twist, pain turning into something disgusting, something that scared me, but something I had no choice but to let take me over. "I think your senses are dulling a bit, Father. You're so oblivious to something that's happening right under your nose!" Ed and Izumi stared at me in shock, taken off guard by my sudden fit of delirium. I laughed, madness laced in my voice. "You're a mess! Your mind is tangled with so much confidence, you don't even recognize the flaws in your plan! You need five sacrifices," I said, a demented glint in my eye. "What happens if you don't have five?"
"What are you saying?" He asked. Despite how I had laughed, and despite the violently deranged smile on my face, tears ran down my cheeks, revealing how I really felt.
"Its time for me to pay my own toll," I said, "I've gone far enough without bearing the weight of my actions, and its about time I grew up and finally did something for the people I love." With that, I finally felt it was right to reach in my jacket to reveal a big, heavy object I had hidden in my uniform.
Izumi and Ed gasped, and Father's eyes widened in complete shock.
"LYNETTE! NO!" Ed yelled at the top of his lungs.
Father quickly made a move, shifting his foot and making rock poles shoot out of the ground to restrain me. But I had already constructed a barrier around me, thanks to a small slip of paper that I had scribbled a certain transmutation circle on.
Everyone's eyes were wide, and they all moved to stop me, but they were too late.
A scream that made their blood run cold echoed through the barrier, and moments later, the rock dome was destroyed, overtaken by vicious flames. The fire roared, and everyone stared at it in a mixture of disbelief and despair. The fire burned with an intensity that no one could survive, and no matter how much all of them wanted to deny it, the truth was right in front of them, fading away with the scorching flames.
The Cold Blood alchemist was no more.
The Game is Done.