Creation began on 08-13-18

Creation ended on 08-14-18

Neon Genesis Evangelion

The Living Alchemist: Shadow Pact

A/N: There is something that only one without a soul can do with someone not from around where they reside.

All he did was close his eyes as he needed to rest up for the next day, and Greed found himself in a dark place shrouded in mist.

"Where is this place?" He demanded.

"This place…is nowhere," a male voice responded as someone stepped of the shadows, "and everywhere, all at once."

It was the young man that broke into the chamber that housed him and kept him in suspended animation by means of his human remains' skull. He was wearing a dark coat over a dark blue shirt and dark pants, his eyes very dark and direct.

"Who are you?" Greed asked him.

"I am nobody right now," the boy responded. "I'm just a face without so much as a name that is my own and an alias. You, on the other hand, you know exactly who you are…and you're not trying to change that. So, who are you?"

"I am Greed."

"That's your name? Greed? No last name?"

"Whoever I used to be had a last name. I'm not who that man used to be."

"Very well, then, Greed. It is nice to make your acquaintance. You may very well be the first Homunculus that I actually respect and see as human. The other three I encountered, however, leave me adrift in whether or not any one of them can be saved."

"The one with the dark green hair in dreadlocks isn't someone that is looking to be saved. He's the oldest of the Homunculi…and isn't a very stable fellow."

"This one with dark green dreadlocks… He got a name?"

"He is Envy."

"Envy is his name? You Homunculi… Are all of named after the Seven Deadly Sins? Meaning there's seven of you out there?"

"As far as I know, there were seven of us, but that was a long time ago. There's only Gluttony, Envy and I, the only Homunculi I know of. I know nothing of the woman with the hands."

"The fat one, Gluttony, called her Lust. There are four of you that I've encountered, leaving only three unaccounted, assuming there are three left to be accounted for. Greed, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Wrath, Sloth and Pride are the seven vices that corrupt human souls. Any number of these vices can leave any one person on a self-destructive path, but if swelled with all seven, there's no telling how corrupt the person can be."

"And what does this have to do with me?" Greed asked him.

"In due time, Greed, I'll want your help to do something that I will compensate you for immensely, and it's to go after the one behind the Homunculi."

"The one behind the Homunculi? What do you mean by that?"

"I'm talking about the one that made you, that keeps you or tries to control you. Homunculi can't exist unless an alchemist crosses the line and makes them. Exactly, what good can come out of creating Homunculi? To what benefit does creating them give the alchemist that chooses to do so? Human Transmutation creates repercussions that scar deep into the souls of others. People get maimed, physically and mentally, aberrations of life that are incomplete and aren't addressed or recognized as human, curiosity that triggers further repercussions unless put in check or stopped completely."

"Suppose that I knew something, what could you possibly give me that I'd even want?"

"Since you're not the same guy that was transmuted, you clearly don't seem interested in being human again, so I won't press that issue. You'd be among the only Homunculi that can be saved if I go after the person responsible for their existence. You get to live and enjoy the limits of your life without the fear of being hunted down, indulge in whatever desires your name entitles you to. Since you're Greed, you're clearly an avaricious person; you want whatever it is you desire. Money, status, women and all the other finer things in life that people take for granted. You want that, you get that."

Greed couldn't detect the slightest hint of deception from this kid. No hint of cruelty or malice, not even a shred of disgust that he seemed to have for the other Homunculi and the alchemists that used them. If anything, this seemed like someone that actually saw him as a person and not a monster…and was willing to let him remain as he was if it meant getting to the people responsible for monsters like him.

"I only know of one person that has attempted Human Transmutation more than once," he expressed, "and that's a woman by the name of Dante. She's the alchemist that made me what I am, and when I defected from her group, she had me locked away in that place for over a century. I couldn't stand being her pawn, being some sort of…attempt at trying to transmute people based on their emotions. Dante of the Deep Forest, one of aliases I knew her by. Last time I ever checked…and all that I remember…is that she lived in a manor located within a forest not far from where I am right now. It's probably where she got her alias Dante of the Deep Forest."

"Dante of the Deep Forest," Shinji repeated to himself. "Thank you, Greed. Do be careful out there for now. I have some things I must do to prepare for when I meet her myself. Stay out of sight of anyone looking for you and your allies. Life is precious and meant to be embraced. Any that is snuffed out is just a waste to the universe."

-x-

Waking up to the new day, Shinji, feeling like he had an unusual dream, but couldn't recall anything, got up and prepared to go cook breakfast for everyone else as it was another day to prepare for the State Alchemy Exam.

Why am I suddenly thinking about the Seven Deadly Sins? He wondered; he had rarely heard about the sins, but ended up learning a basic understanding of them after watching that American film that had a serial killer that chose his victims based on the sins. Vanity is the worst sin, as people's arrogance will leave them paying a high price.

To be continued…

A/N: It would appear that somehow, Shinji's subconscious can communicate with the mind of Greed, and he had acquired information that will aid him in dealing with his future adversaries.