Hi guys! Thanks for waiting once again. I decided to put this upload up today since today is the day I officially finish the Inuyasha series! (Nerd moment). My editor changed his name to Jirachi of Frost so now you can check him out. Anyway,
DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING BUT THE COMPUTER I'M TYPING ON- NEVERMIND...
Chapter 3: Agnostic Beliefs
In a quiet little town, the birds chirping in the distance were over spoken by the sound of a man on the radio.
"God's children, who live upon this land, pray in faith and ye shall be saved. Those who have lost their way, the sun god…" The radio continued as a man behind a counter at a little shop looked at the three people before him.
"So what are you guys? Street performers or something?" The man asked.
The kid with a blond braid and red coat spat his juice as the girl with chestnut hair and purple ribbon tied on her neck burst into laughter. The armor on the opposite side of the blond looked confused.
The blond, obviously offended, spoke up. "Seriously? Do we look like street performers to you?"
"Yes, why ask?"
"Come on Ed. It's just his opinion. No need to get worked up over something like that" The girl with Chestnut hair said as she stood up from her seat smiling.
"Nice to know it's okay if people think we perform on the side of the road. Let's go guys"
The armor stood up slowly and hit the roof of the little diner, which caused the radio to go flying onto the ground where it smashed to a million steel pieces.
"Hey! Easy, I didn't mean nothing by it!" The man upset over the smashed radio.
"Were so sorry! It was an accident! We'll fix it right away sir!" Iris said bowing her head before Edward could speak up.
"It's not the end of the world Iris."
"I still feel bad."
"How are you going to fix it? It's smashed to hell!"
"Just watch and learn gramps" Edward said grinning.
"You're about to see what we do for a living!" Iris spoke happily.
Al knelt down towards the radio and drew a transmutation circle, with three triangles towards the center, with the radio in the middle of it.
"Okay, here it goes!" Al said as he overlapped his hands and put them over the circle.
Blue sparks began to flow out of his hands and onto the circle causing a blue light to envelop the radio and altogether fix it to its original form.
"There, see? How's that?" Edward asked pointing at the radio.
"I think he's happy about his radio being fixed!" Iris chuckled at the man's expression.
"Amazing! It's a miracle! You've been touched by the sun god, just like Father Cornello!"
Iris broke into laughter as Edward's face drooped in confusion.
"Touched by whom now?" Edward asked
"It's not a miracle, its alchemy" Al explained to the man.
"Alchemy doesn't have anything to do with gods, but it is pretty awesome!" Iris said calming down from her recent laughter fit.
"Oh so you three are alchemists? I've heard of them" A person behind the trio said.
"Then maybe you've heard of us! Were the Elric brothers!"
"Plus one…" Iris said sadly, feeling left out.
"Don't feel bad Iris, you're the Silver Alchemist from Fort Briggs!" Alphonse said attempting to cheer their companion up from her sadness.
"Whatever you say, almighty Elrics" Iris sighed.
"The Elric brothers and the Silver alchemist, you say?"
"I've heard of them"
"I heard some rumors about the Silver alchemist"
"The Elrics? I do know that name!"
"The Fullmetal alchemist, Edward Elric! Is that right?"
People started crowding Iris and the person they believed to be the Fullmetal alchemist. Alphonse and Iris struggled to squirm out of the crowd, but only Iris succeeded due to her small structure and the people's focus on Alphonse. Edward just stood off to the side, chuckling to himself. Iris looked at Al and started giggling.
"You guys are crowding the wrong person!" Iris shouted at the crowd.
The whole crowd looked at Iris, and then looked at Alphonse.
"What?" some people said confused.
"You mean it's the little guy?" Someone said pointing at Edward as a vein popped out.
"WHO'S LITTLE? COME SAY THAT TO MY FACE! I DARE YOU!" Edward screamed, chasing off most of the people at the diner as Iris was just sitting in a chair laughing once again at the brothers.
"Excuse me, but who's on the radio?" Iris asked the shop keeper while Ed calmed down from his 'little tantrum', which is what Iris called his outbursts.
The shopkeeper and two other men looked exhausted after Ed's outburst.
"That's our leader, Father Cornello."
One of the men stood up.
"We were lost until he came to town and started teaching us the ways of the sun god, Leto"
An old man approached us and continued.
"He grants eternal life to the souls of the faithful"
"He can even resurrect the dead! His miracles are proof that what he says is true!" Another one finished.
"So this guy's claiming he can bring the dead back to life? Now that's something I gotta see" Edward said.
Miracles don't exist, but I can't tell the townspeople that. Looks like we'll be playing detective for a while. Iris thought. She didn't know why, but thoughts of her older brother and sister came to mind. Iris shook off the thoughts before walking off with the boys.
Iris sat on the little hill she created with alchemy so she could see what was happening while Ed stood up on his suitcase doing the same and Al just stood on the ground since his height gave him an advantage. The large crowd was here for one of Cornello's "Miracle Gatherings" as flower petals from the sky showered everyone. The crowd cheered for an old man in a black outfit like Ed's but longer. Iris saw sparks flow from his hand as he grabbed one of the flowers that showered the crowd into a pair of huge magnificent flower jewels. It was similar to Iris' alchemy which caused a slight look of disgust to appear on Iris' face for a moment.
"That's it huh? What do you two think?" Edward asked.
"It doesn't take a genius to figure out, Ed" Iris said looking at the boys.
"Iris is right, there's nothing to think about. That's alchemy, no doubt about it" Al agreed.
"Were overlooking the fact that he's giving too little and getting too much. That sure as hell isn't equivalent exchange" Iris said.
"You're right. He should've only been able to turn that flower into an object of equal mass" Edward said.
"And he's changing organic matter into inorganic matter. He shouldn't be able to do that, unless…" Alphonse trailed off.
"Yeah there's only one way" Edward grinned.
"No there's not." Iris said confused. "There's no way that could be possible"
Ed and Al looked at each other and sighed.
"You have no idea what the Philosopher's Stone is, do you?" Edward asked.
"Not a clue" Iris smiled.
"We'll explain it later, okay?" Al said as Iris nodded.
"His ring does seem to be a big factor in his alchemy though…" Iris said glared at the priest.
Edward sighed. It's going to be a long day…
"Hey guys! Look! There's the church!" Iris walked in quietly with the boys as they saw a woman with reddish bangs and pale skin on her knees praying to the statue before her. Iris thought she could hear her mumbling "Bring him back" but she shook it off.
"Excuse me miss" Iris said quietly to the woman as she turned her head.
"So this is the almighty Leto" Edward stated as he looked at the large statue.
"Welcome. Are you interested in Letoism?" The woman asked kindly.
"Nope. Can't say that I am. Not really the religious type."
That's an understatement Iris thought to herself.
"Well I'm sorry to hear that. To know god is…to know hope. If we believe in divine grace, then all things are possible" She looked at Ed before continuing " If you believed, then I'm sure Leto would bless you and make you grow taller!" She finished sincerely. Iris started laughing while Alphonse held his brother back.
"What's that suppose to mean?!" Ed spoke angry.
"Easy brother! She's just trying to help!" Alphonse coaxed
"Calm down Ed, she's being sincere" Iris said which received a glare from Edward.
Ed sat down before saying "What about bringing the dead back to life? Do think that's possible?"
Iris immediately stopped laughing and looked at Edward.
"Yes" The woman answered.
"Edward, don't" Iris said with an unforgiving tone. Al looked at Iris with surprise. He only saw Iris like this when they were fighting Issac McDougal. Edward looked at Iris with no sympathy and continued as he pulled out a little book and began to read.
"Water 35liters, Carbon 20kilograms, Ammonia 4liters, lime 1.5 kilograms, phosphorus 800grams, Salt 250grams, saltpeter 100grams, and various other trace elements" Ed finished. Iris put her head down as she gritted her teeth. The woman looked confused; as if you told her pigs could fly at night. Ed closed the book, putting it back in his coat.
"That list represents the complete chemical make-up of the human body for the average adult. It's calculated to the last microgram but still there's never been one reported case of successfully creating a human life, and you're telling me something modern science can't do, you can do with prayer?" Ed said while looking down.
Alphonse could feel Iris' anger growing with every word he spoke.
"Lift thy voice to god, and the prayers of the faithful shall be answered!" the woman protested against Ed's criticism.
"Edward, stop." Iris said once more. She looked down at her hands. They were shaking. With every word spoken, more unwanted memories poured into her head and reminded her of her mistake.
"Brother, perhaps you should-"
"Al, don't get involved" Iris warned him with a deadly tone. Al stepped back and let his brother continue.
"Did I mention all those ingredients I read off, down at the market a kid could buy every one of them for the spare change in his pocket?" Ed smiled and stared at the ceiling as he spoke. "As it turns out, humans are made pretty cheap"
"No, that's blasphemy" The woman said with shock written on her face. "People, we are children of god, created in his image!"
Edward chuckled at this statement. "You have to understand, alchemists are scientists. We don't believe in improvable concepts like creators or gods. We observe the physical laws that govern this world…to try to learn the truth. It's ironic really, through the application of science, we, in many ways, have been given the power to play gods ourselves" Before the woman could protest, someone else protested for her.
"SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH EDWARD" Edward turned to see Iris with tears flowing down her face and her fists clenched as if she was ready to fight. "You have absolutely no right to force your virtues on someone else; you might as well take their hope away while you're at it. I may be an alchemist, but I have my reasons and beliefs."
"So you believe in god?" The woman asked. Iris walked up to her, loosening her fists.
"I used to believe. I was faithful, but my prayers were never answered. My siblings and I prayed for my brother's survival when he was bitten by a snake but it wasn't granted. We prayed for my sister to get better but she was only presented sickness and a miserable death. If what you're saying is true, than heaven forsake me long ago."
Everyone in the room gave Iris looks of sympathy. She knew she would have to explain herself someday, but it wouldn't be today.
"Excuse miss, but could Father Cornello speak with Edward about your religion?" Iris asked. She knew Edward's mission was to learn about the ring so she might as well get it over with.
"Of course! Follow me." The woman said obviously overjoyed about those words.
"Iris, are you okay?" Al asked her. Iris hadn't wiped away the tears nor did she cry more of them. Iris didn't respond to his question, nor did she respond or flinch when Edward shot her an apologetic look as they walked down a corridor lacking light. Edward didn't mean to hurt Iris. He only wanted to give the woman a taste of the real world. He knew for a fact that in the real world, people don't come back to life and judging by the way Iris spoke, she knew just as much.
"Cray will see if Father Cornello can spare some time to talk to you" The woman said with a smile on her face.
"Edward" Iris gained his attention as he looked over "There's an old myth my sister told me, something with wax wings involved. Have you heard of it?"
Edward nodded, remembering the myth as well.
"There was a hero, not really a hero more like an arrogant child, who flew on wings of wax crafted by his father, who warned him not to go too high" Iris started as the woman looked at her in confusion.
"Thought he could touch the sun, but when he got too close, his wings melted,
And he came crashing back down to earth. Right Al?"
Al didn't respond. He only nodded.
A man wearing an outfit similar to Father Cornello's came out just as the woman was about to speak to us.
"This way please" the man directed with three subordinates at his side. "Father Cornello is a busy man, as you can imagine. But you're in luck. He's decided to spare a moment for you"
"Yeah thanks! We understand, we won't take too much of his time" Edward said with a grin.
"Good, then it's agreed. We'll make this quick" Cray said as he reached for the gun in his right pocket. One of the subordinates grabbed Iris and the other two trapped Edward while Alphonse was held at gun point.
"Brother Cray, What is this?! What do you think you're doing?" the woman said staring at her comrade in horror.
"Rose, these heathens have come to ensnare and discredit the Father. They're evil, this is god's will" Cray stated with no remorse in his voice.
"Brother Cray…"
"I've heard of nasty villains but I never knew god was one of them" Iris muttered as she laid her hands on top of her head, waiting for the signal to fight back.
"Silence, this shall over before you can speak of your encounter" Cray warned as he pointed the gun at Iris.
"Like you said, let's make this quick!" Edward said throwing one of his captors over his head. Iris swung her fist into her captor's head before she swung her leg and knocked him to the ground. Alphonse punched Cray in the face as the gun tumbled to Rose's feet. One of the subordinates attempted to flee but Iris quickly grabbed her whip, which grasped one of his feet as Ed threw his staff at his head, which knocked him out cold.
"Oh yeah! Strike!" Ed chanted
"I helped you know…" Iris mumbled to herself.
"What's this commotion?" A voice called from the shadows. Father Cornello stepped out from the shadows with a grin plastered on his face.
"Ah the Fullmetal alchemist. Welcome to the home of our sacred order." Cornello spoke warmly.
"Father Cornello!" Rose said happily as if she was a dog and he was her master.
"I must apologize for my deciphers behavior. It seems they have been misguided" Cornello said warmly.
"But aren't you their leader?" Iris asked.
"I'm unaware what has happened to them. Have you three come to learn the ways of Leto?" Cornello asked.
"Well there's a few things I'm curious about, like how you've been using second rate alchemy to deceive your followers" Ed interrogated.
"My dear boy, I do not know what you mean. What your doubting eyes see as alchemy are the miracles of the sun god, Leto." A red light flowed out of Cornello's hands as he cupped them and a little statue was visible as he revealed them "Look again. Could mere alchemy create something from nothing in this way?" Cornello answered with a slight irritation found in his voice.
Rose smiled at another one of his "Miracles".
"Yeah that's what confuses me. Right Ed?" Iris asked.
"Right. How can you perform transmutations that ignore the law of equivalent exchange?" Ed finished.
"As I said, because it isn't alchemy!" Cornello replied angry and irritated.
"Then I started thinking about it. If you somehow managed to acquire a certain object to amplify your alchemy, one that's said to make the impossible, possible, that would explain everything" Edward finished coldly.
"What?" Cornello asked with a dumbfounded expression
"Edward's far from stupid, Cornello" Iris yelled while swinging her watch in a circle.
"I'm talking about the Philosopher's Stone" Edward said with eyes are hard as stone "Your ring that's it, isn't it? I've been looking for that"
"What he said" Iris smiled nervously.
"A ring is just a ring. I am god's humble servant. It is from him alone that I derive my power" Cornello said with a loud voice.
"Enough of the god's messenger crap! Were not stupid, so just give Edward the ring" Iris spoke as she and Ed moved towards Cornello.
"My, what a sweet girl and encouraging heathen you both are" Cornello directed his focus on the gun by Rose's feet. "Rose dear"
"Yes Father?" Rose said with a trembling voice.
"That gun there beside you, pick it up"
"Uh, okay" Rose picked up the gun confused.
"Now child, I want you to shoot the Fullmetal and Silver alchemist"
All three alchemists looked at Rose. They were just as horrified as she was at the command.
"No… Father, I can't do that!"
"I am the sun god's chosen emissary. My word is the word of Leto himself." Cornello's wicked expression said it all. "Shoot them Rose. It is god's will"
Rose pointed the gun at her chin and began trembling.
"Why hesitate? When you lost your fiancé to that tragic accident last year, who was it that saved you from the very depths of despair? Have you forgotten?" Cornello smiled.
"It was you, Father" Rose's voice shook with fear
"That's right. It was I who took your hand and lead you into gods light and you recall what I promised you then?"
"You said that if I had faith, you would bring him back to life!" Rose shouted at the top of her lungs.
"How dare you! Feeding fake beliefs to desperate people! That's just cruel!" Iris screamed at Cornello.
"It may be cruel, but it's effective as well"
Rose pointed the gun at Alphonse. Iris couldn't help but giggle at the sight.
"No, wait! It's not me, honest!" Al protested.
Rose looked at Iris as she giggled and pointed to Edward, who very pissed off.
"DAMN IT! I'M THE FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST! NOT HIM! IT'S ME!" Edward yelled as Iris calmed down from her giggling.
"It's the short one?! You're kidding! Then who's the Silver alchemist?"
"Hello!" Iris smiled at Cornello's question.
"Now the military recruits little girls as well?" Cornello mumbled.
Rose changed her position so the gun was pointed at Edward.
"I'm sorry, but I-I have to do this! I don't have any choice!"
"He's been lying to you Rose!" Edward stated
"You're wrong! I've seen his miracles! Father Cornello will bring him back to life! I have faith!" Rose yelled.
"Rose, does having faith mean that you'll be able to live with yourself if you pull that trigger?" Iris asked
"If you believe so much, than shoot" Ed finished.
Rose shook so much that when she pulled the trigger, she was knocked back. The bullet didn't hit Edward, its intended target; it had hit Alphonse, whose head fell off as he was knocked to the ground. Rose dropped the gun and screamed.
"Good. God Leto is pleased; you have done well my child. Now pick up the gun and shoot the other two." Cornello commanded kindly.
"Haven't you made her do enough already?" Alphonse, with no head, sat up as Iris picked up his head and Edward walked over to him. Both Cornello and Rose were shocked from the head less Al before them.
"B-but your h-head. I thought…" Rose struggled to speak.
"You okay Alphonse?" Iris asked while looking at the armored head in her hands.
"I'm fine" Al responded.
"Don't worry about him you two. He's pretty solid" Ed explained as he knocked on Al's chest plate.
"Yeah see? No harm done" Alphonse said as he bent down and pointed to the inside of his armor, that was empty. Iris looked in fascination while Rose just looked mortified. Iris handed Alphonse his head as she wowed over his empty armor.
"Wow Alphonse! That's so awesome! How's that possible?" Iris asked.
"I'll explain it later, okay?" Alphonse said as Iris nodded. No one had ever been so excited or curious over Alphonse's armor, as most people screamed when they saw it was empty.
"An empty suit of armor that walks and speaks? Do you still doubt it Rose? This unholy thing is an abomination! Evil of this kind must be purged!" Cornello yelled as he pulled a lever.
That was just mean. The Military's more evil than Alphonse! Iris thought.
Out of the darkness and shadows were red eyes that belonged to a chimera. The chimera looked like it was combined with a bird, a lion, and a lizard.
"And I believe my chimera should be up to the task" Cornello said.
"Poor thing! It looks like it's in pain…" Iris said softly as she looked at the poor creature with sympathetic eyes.
"So this is the sort of thing you do with the Philosopher's stone, that's just twisted" Edward stated with his eyes full of disgust. "Anyway, looks like I'll need a weapon"
Ed clapped and put his hands on the ground as a blue light enveloped them. The brighter the light got, the more you could see a spear rising out of the ground and into Ed's hands.
"Me next!" Iris chanted as she clapped her hands and a similar process began, except instead of a spear, a trio of daggers appeared as Iris grabbed and placed them on her belt. Cornello was dumbfounded by both of the child's abilities.
"No transmutation circle?! So the state alchemist title isn't just for show! Both of you truly are gifted!" Cornello shouted.
"I don't know whether he was insulting us or complimenting us. What do you think Ed?" Iris asked.
"Let's worry about the chimera first and his comments later" Ed replied.
"However…" Cornello said as the chimera charged.
The chimera slashed at Edward's leg and spear. Iris expected blood but was presented with only shredded pants.
"Your little spear is no match for chimera claws and teeth that tear through iron!" Cornello said as Edward smiled.
"You shredded my pants" Ed responded as the chimera's claws were shrunken down to nubs of nail. Iris grabbed her whip and aimed towards the beast's back leg, where the whip grasped it.
"Have a nice trip kitty!" Iris yelled as the pulled her whip, causing the beast to fall on its back and shred her pants to where a jagged white line was spotted. The beast rose once more, but before it could jump on Iris, Ed kicked it with the same leg that the chimera attempted to shred.
"Guess those claws don't do so well against steel" Edward chuckled.
"FIGHT THEM YOU STUPID BEAST!" Cornello demanded as the chimera charged towards Iris. Alphonse pulled Iris out the way as Edward jumped in front of the chimera holding out his right arm as the chimera's teeth came down. The chimera struggled to snap Ed's arm but had no success as Edward raised his arm.
"You like that kitty? Get a good taste!" Edward yelled as he kicked the chimera with his left leg, knocking it out of commission and this world. Iris kneeled beside the beast as she put her hands together and prayed.
At least now this chimera is at peace Iris thought.
"Your arm, a brother trapped in armor, the scar on your leg… I see. It's all becoming clear now. You did it, didn't you? The one thing even the most novice alchemist knows is strictly forbidden!" Cornello screamed.
"You don't know anything Cornello" Iris shouted as she gritted her teeth.
"Why don't you come down here and try me? I'll show you real quick who the novice is!" Edward yelled as he ripped of his coat, revealing his automail arm down to the shoulder.
"Rose, this is the price of their sin, these fools attempted human transmutation, the greatest taboo for any alchemist. In their arrogance they tried to bring someone dead, back to life" Cornello yelled.
"It's more like desperation, not arrogance" Iris explained "I thought I could bring my sister back, but turns out I was the one who crashed back to the earth, to reality" Iris began shedding tears once more.
Rose recalled the myth Edward and Iris told her and realized what they had been trying to tell her.
"This is what happens when you try to play god or whatever you want to call it. Take a good look Rose. Is this what you want?" Edward said looking down.
"But your friend, she-"
"I didn't get off easy. My little sister had to pay for my sin because of how reckless I was. I still wish to this day that she would've just let me die instead of me living to see her suffering. Do you want to bear that pain Rose?" Iris yelled with tears dripping down her face. Rose looked at Iris' leg where the jagged white line stood out like a white flower in a grassy field.
"So this is the great Fullmetal alchemist, Edward Elric and the Silver alchemist, Iris Kamillia from Fort Briggs. The Fullmetal alchemist isn't even half of a man, hell not even half a boy! And the Silver alchemist is just a stupid, inexperienced little girl." Cornello lectured.
"And what are you?! You're just a phony that can't do anything without a Philosopher's stone!" Edward yelled as Iris wiped away her tears.
"How dare you lecture us when you torture pour souls like Rose and that chimera!" Iris screamed.
"Father, we just want you to hand over the stone before you get hurt" Alphonse said softly.
"Don't be obscured! Why? So you could have it for yourself? Please. If you fools are so eager to play god," Cornello held up his cane as a red light enveloped it, transforming it into a machine gun "Then perhaps I should send you to be with him instead!"
Cornello's bullets got closer as he fired his gun and smoke clouded the trio. Iris clapped her hands and set them on the ground as she put herself in a dome to block the bullets. Edward had put a wall that caught the bullets.
"Nah, me and god don't get along too well. Even if I went, he probably just send me right back here" Edward said. "Hey Iris, you okay?"
"I don't know. I just know that I'm a little reluctant about moving." Iris yelled through her dome.
"Don't go chicken on us. We still need to get out of here"
"Right" Iris clapped her hands, unraveling the dome, and ran behind the miniature wall before Cornello pulled the trigger. Just as Alphonse picked up Rose, Cornello began shooting them. Iris clapped her hands and a wall appeared in front of them as Iris ran behind the pair, but not before a bullet scraped her arm.
"This way!" Edward yelled as he set his hands on the wall and created a metal set of doors.
"Don't just stand there! After them! These heathens seek to harm the order! They must be stopped!" Cornello yelled.
"Edward, Cornello's got some friends!" Iris yelled.
"You think I don't know that?" Ed yelled as they ran into a group of people down the hallway.
"That's far enough"
"What are you going to boy? You're unarmed and outnumbered"
"Look, just come quietly, we don't want to have to ruff you up"
"Just surrender and let the girls go"
Edward smiled and laughed maniacally before clapping his hands and transforming his arm into a sharp blade. The men before them were terrified. Edward and Iris took them out one by one.
"Don't go easy on them just because their kids, you got that?" One of followers ordered just as Alphonse kicked him in the face.
"I won't be going to a church for a long time after this is over…" Iris sighed.
"What do you of Cornello now Rose?" Alphonse asked as he set down a large bell.
"He just tried to kill Alphonse without thinking of the fact that you were right there in the line of fire. People like that don't deserve your trust." Iris said as she tied a rag around her gun wound that was bleeding.
"But that's because…" Rose sputtered as she held her hands to her chest. "What he said back there is true isn't it?"
Al stopped what he was doing. "Were not evil. All we want was to see our mom's smile again."
Rose looked towards Iris and she smiled. "I wanted to go back to the life I had before Teresa died. I had no idea it would end like this."
"Was Teresa your sister?" Alphonse asked softly and Iris smiled.
"My older sister to be exact, but I'll explain that later. Okay?" Alphonse nodded and Iris looked over the railing at Lior.
"What happened?" Rose asked.
"The transmutation failed. What we made wasn't even human. We learned our mistake the hard way. People don't come back from the dead not ever." Alphonse said sadly.
"The only reason I have this leg is because my little sister gave up her own using alchemy to replicate my other leg. I don't think I'll ever forgive myself or forget what that creature I made looked like." Iris said smiling through the painful memories as images of the green creature fell into her head.
"That's not true, I mean-" Rose tried to protest.
"Alchemy is based on the law of equivalent exchange. Even the price of a failed transmutation is enormous" Al said with no remorse.
"My little sister has to pay my price. You have no idea how heavy a burden like that is, Rose" Iris said looking at Rose.
"It cost my brother his left leg, and it cost me my whole body." Alphonse removed his head, where a seal could be spotted deep in the back of the armor. "Do you see it? My brother drew it with his own blood. His leg had been taken, he was bleeding, I can't imagine the pain he was in. But through all that, he still gave up his right arm to transmute my soul and bound me to this suit of armor. Now I just want to help him get his body back to the way it was. He wants to get me back to normal too. It won't be easy. We might get killed along the way. But that's the path we chose. All we can do is keep moving"
"But Father Cornello said- He said he could do it! He promised me! Just because you three failed doesn't mean- doesn't mean he will!" Rose protested.
"I was like that too" Iris spoke up. "I thought 'these people failed but what if I could be the first? I could bring back Teresa and make history'. But it's not like that, Rose. Teresa never came back. I thought that if I brought her back my little brother, sister, and me could reunite and we could go back to our life in our little cabin. That's not what happened. What happened was my little sister, who was the most delicate person I knew, gave her leg to form another for me and now she's in a wheel chair being cared for by someone else." Iris moved her hair and showed Rose the ribbon on her throat. "You see this? My sister gave this to me with a promise, that I would become a state alchemist. The scar on my leg is a reminder of my mistake and my sister's pain."
"What happened to your little brother?" Rose asked scared to know the answer.
"The military separated us and I haven't seen him since."
Everyone stayed quiet while Alphonse worked, thinking about the things said until a voice came on the bell and radios as Alphonse held up the bell.
"You could do anything with the Philosopher's stone right? So why waste all that power performing phony miracles?" Ed's voice spoke through the bell.
"Because with each miracle, I can attract new believers to the order, believers who would lay down their lives for my sake. I'm slowly building an army, a legion of holy warriors unafraid to die in a few years I'll unleash this horde upon the world and I'll use the Philosopher's Stone to tear this country apart. Who knows, I might even carve out a slice for you!" An evil laugh rang out and an innocent laugh followed. "Wait what are you laughing about?"
"I knew it! You really are a novice aren't you?" Edward's voice boomed on the bell.
"YOU DON'T MEAN THAT-"
Static meant that connection had cut, and the truth was out.
"There were never any miracles, Rose. He lied to you. He lied to everyone " Alphonse explained sadly.
"Sorry Rose, some things are just too good to be true." Iris held her head up and looked at Rose with sympathy.
"Why you! How long?! How long has that been on?!" Cornello yelled.
"From the start. Your 'believers' heard every word"
"How could you?! You'll dearly for-"
A crash was heard a few minutes later as the church rumbled.
"Ed, what did you do this time?" Alphonse sighed.
"I say we get a souvenir before we go!" Iris shouted happily.
"Why not? It's been a long day. We'll meet with brother later" Alphonse said as Iris ran ahead being her happy-go-lucky self.
"And what about the stone? Al asked.
"A phony just like him." Edward explained.
"I get why you two are chasing that stone. According to what you told me, it can bypass equivalence. It's a shame that it was a dud." Iris said as she wrapped a small box in white paper.
"Hey Iris, what's that?" Alphonse asked.
"It's a little statue of Leto I got. I'm sending it to my little sister along with a letter." Iris explained.
"I didn't know you had a sister" Ed replied.
"It's a long story that I promise I'll explain some day. Let's find a messenger who can mail it" Iris said as she put the box in her dessert colored messenger bag she had gotten for herself earlier.
"Give me the Philosopher's Stone!" a familiar voice yelled.
The trio turned around and saw Rose holding a gun towards them.
"Rose…" Al muttered.
"I'm sorry Rose; it was a fake just like Cornello. There's nothing we can do about it now. It broke and vaporized so it's already too late" Iris explained.
"Liar! You want to keep it for yourself don't you! So you can bring your sister and their mother back again!"
Iris looked down and put her hands on her heart as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"YOU SHUT UP!" Edward yelled. "People don't come back from the dead, Rose. Not ever, NOT EVER.
"Now that hurt" Iris muttered as she sniffled and wiped away her tears.
Rose fell to her knees. "But he promised me. He said if I prayed it would happen." Tears fell down Rose's face as the trio walked past her. "That hope was all I had left! What am I supposed to believe in now?! Tell me what to do! Please!"
"I can't tell you that. You'll have to figure it out. Stand up and walk, keep moving forward. You've got two good legs, so use them. You're strong enough to make your own path" Edward told her as the trio walked to the train station.
Where will my evil end?! Okay you guys, I've been having problems coming up with a name for the next chapter, so comment or private message me! I check it daily so so ideas are missed. I also found out that this was the longest chapter at 22 pages and over 6,000 words! This is why I have no social life... :(
Jackie C.A.