A/N: I have wanted to write this chapter and chapter 30 ever since I started :) There's just one more chapter to go, the Epilogue.
By the way, I have just opened an account at Fiction Press (thats where you post your own stories, not fanfiction). If anyone's interested in checking it out, my pen name is Trina Sapphire and I should have Chapter 1 of my own story posted there on the 22/7/12.
Chapter 31:
Mustang, Hawkeye, Alphonse, Hughes and Greed found themselves suddenly in a world of complete white. Edward and Winry lay still unconscious on the floor.
Alphonse paled, staring at something over Mustang's shoulder. "The Gate…"
Mustang whirled around to find himself face to face with the enormous grey gates that he had seen earlier at the battlefield with Pride.
"You lot have caused quite the disruption today," said a male voice from one side. It came from a shadowy silhouette in the shape of a person.
Hawkeye took her gun off Greed and re-aimed it at the 'person'. "Tell us who you are!"
The 'person' sounded amused as he answered. "I am known by many names. I am called the world, the universe, god, truth, all, one."
"What do you want with us?" Mustang tried to demand, but Greed suddenly strode forward, cutting him off.
"Truth! What are you doing?" Greed raised his eyebrows.
"You have failed me," replied Truth. "You Homunculi were given the strength and ultimate power of the Gate. You were even given a roomful of objects from inside the Gate to assist you- some of which are of immense value." Truth glanced momentarily at Edward. "In return you were to channel thousands of souls to me through the Gate. But you have failed."
"Your group has fallen apart. Two of your members have died. A further two have been captured, and are unable to so much as glare at people, let alone kill them. One has been incapitated and another has disappeared from this agreement. Which leaves just you, Greed."
Greed scowled. "But I am still here. I will use the power I've obtained by our agreement. I will kill the humans and the vampires and rule the earth! Any remaining humans will bow down to my power! I will be king of the world, and have unlimited power, women, alcohol, money, immortality, anything I want! I will have it all!" He ended laughing maniacally.
Truth suddenly grinned chillingly. "You are incapable. Whilst you are the last Homunculus linked to the Gate, you do not have the ability to control this power. And do you know what I do to those that fail me?"
Behind Greed, the Gates swiftly swung open. Greed paled as millions of small black hands shot out and latched on to him.
"No! You can't do this! I am immortal! I cannot fail!" Greed screamed desperately. He began to fight off the black hands, but for every one he avoided, another one took its place and latched on. Greed writhed wildly, but to no avail. The Gate drew him into the darkness and the doors slammed shut. Silence reigned temporarily.
"Well, that was fun." Truth chuckled viciously before turning to the remaining people. Before Truth could say anything more, Alphonse leapt to his feet, standing in between Truth and Edward.
"Don't you dare touch Brother again!" Al said, determination shining in his eyes. "No more 'deals', nothing at all! We don't want anything to do with you!"
"Then," Truth stared creepily at him. "Why did you come, Alphonse Elric?"
Mustang intervened. "You called us, Truth." His tone was cold.
Truth looked over at him and Hawkeye. "That's right… To be more specific, I called you two." He smirked. "You two have something to receive."
Hawkeye didn't like the fake enthusiasm Truth was using. "We don't want it."
Truth leant forward. "You don't even know what it is yet!"
Mustang shook his head. "We don't care." He knew full well not to deal with Truth from Edward's accounts. This monster took Fullmetal's arm and leg, and Al's entire body. "We refuse to deal with you."
Truth seemed angry at that. "You refuse?" He scowled at first, and then slowly dissolved into laughter. "You will regret that decision dearly." Truth grinned evilly.
"Remember this, mortals! Remember your refusal when your doom crashes down upon you and everything and everyone you care about abandons you!" Truth laughed uncontrollably as chills crept down the spines of everyone present. The sound faded slightly and the whiteness dimmed, and Mustang, Hawkeye, Alphonse and Hughes suddenly found themselves back in the Gate room in the Homunculi's lair.
Hawkeye and Mustang exchanged glances, each wondering if they had just made a terrible mistake. Alphonse knelt down beside his older brother and watched for a second as he breathed- a sign of Edward's humanity.
"I see you have returned," said the old woman from before, her sharp gaze travelling over them all.
"Advisor Sylla," Hughes bowed his head to her.
"Vampire," she bowed in return, but a look of disgust crept on her face.
Mustang leaned over to Hughes. "Who is she?"
"The Head Advisor of the Hunters," he replied softly. "And an acquaintance of mine. I heard Envy tried to imitate her at one stage."
"What are you doing here, Advisor?" Hawkeye asked warily.
The Advisor strode right past her and stopped beside Al, leaning over Edward. "I am simply supervising this young man's… transition."
Al suddenly noticed something about his brother that made him uneasy. "His eyes…" Al hesitated.
Sylla nodded. "Once a human body has turned into a vampire, it can never completely go back to its original state."
Al's eyes went wide. "Does this mean Brother can never really be completely human?" The boy panicked.
"Not at all," the Advisor replied. "Your brother is completely human. He will just have some physical changes. Look here." She knelt beside Al, and Hawkeye, Mustang and Hughes watched on curiously.
Sylla opened one of Edward's eyes. The teenager's pupil was very slightly slitted, a bit like a cat's. When Sylla tilted Edward's head and his eye caught the light, his golden eye was tinted with a light red. The changes were almost unnoticeable, but they were there.
"He has Night Eyes," the elderly woman said, straightening and standing back up. "Eyes that have seen the night will never truly be the same again."
"Will it affect him?" Al asked anxiously.
"I've only heard of it in Hunter mythology- I've never heard of a real case, but the legends say he will be able to see further than most humans, and also in the dark. The legends speak of other potential changes too, such as a hatred of light, incredible endurance, or powers of the mind. Be prepared in case this young man acquires these abilities. However, it is also possible that he will not change at all, apart from his eyes. Hope for the best."
Sylla turned to go.
"Wait, Advisor!" Mustang stepped forward. "What about what happened just then, with the Gate?"
Sylla turned to Mustang. "First, let me ask you a question, Colonel Roy Mustang. What time was it when you saw that boy for the first time after he was changed?"
Roy thought for a moment, thinking back to that night patrol with Al. "About 1 am, I think."
"And the second time you saw him?" Sylla continued mysteriously.
Roy thought hard, recalling dropping in to his office on patrol to get some folders only to discover Fullmetal sitting injured on his desk. "1 am…"
"What about when you discovered he had no soul?" the Advisor smiled gruffly as Mustang connected the dots.
"The same time!" Mustang's brows furrowed as he began to remember every time he'd seen Edward at night. "It was always 1 am! How did I not notice that before…?"
"And, what time is it now?" Sylla smiled even more.
Mustang recalled the clock chiming once right before the Gate took them… somewhere. He checked his watch.
"Wow. But what does it mean?" the Colonel wondered.
"We have observed as much of the Gate's activity as we can find," Sylla explained, "and the Gate almost always opens at 1 am. It seems the wall between our world and the Gate is weakest then. With this being the Gate Room and all, it is most likely that the Gate opens here often at one in the morning. That's also why that young man almost always found you at 1 am- because he was drawn out, searching for his soul. He probably never even knew about it."
Sylla turned again to leave. "Speaking of the time, I have to leave. But before I do, I'll give you this." The elderly woman set down a vial of light purple liquid onto a nearby table. "This is a cure for that young girl. She has the vampire sickness; it's common amongst Hunters that work in the field." And with that, she walked through the doorway.
"Hold on, how do you know all this? Why would you help us? Advisor Sylla!" Hawkeye strode to the open doorway and looked around, but the old woman had vanished. And when she turned around, Hawkeye realized Hughes had vanished as well.
Ricky had stayed with Heath's body as night fell. He had even stayed in the one place when, not moments before, the number 3 had been carved onto the Gate with black ink and the Gate had explosively disintegrated into dust, leaving no trace. He stayed where he was, head down and motionless.
Hughes appeared beside him. "I'm sorry, Ricky."
Ricky slowly released Heath's body and stood, his hair covering his face. "They will pay."
Hughes sighed. "Most of the Homunculi are dead or captured now." He shrugged.
"Then I'll hunt down the ones that are still alive. I don't care who has them. They will pay with their lives!" Ricky growled. His hands were clenched and his eyes narrowed in fury.
Hughes gave him a sideways glance. "You don't need to travel that path, Ricky. You can come with me, and help rebuild the Clan from the ruins it's fallen into." Hughes suddenly grinned like an idiot. "I went and saw my gorgeous wife and daughter! They have only increased in beauty will every passing day! I took some photos, see?" He suddenly shoved a handful of photos in Ricky's face. "And my wife still wears my wedding ring- she does still love me after all!" Hughes squealed in happiness.
Ricky sighed and muttered, "Then go live with her!"
Hughes shook his head. "No… they've moved on, and they're happy; I don't want to ruin that by showing up. I'll stay with the Clan."
"Look, Senior Hughes…" Ricky turned to face him. "You have the luxury of living happily. I don't. Someone robbed my dearest friend of his life." Ricky looked up into the night sky, a cool breeze ruffling his hair. "I have to do this."
Hughes nodded; he understood. "I hope you find the peace you're looking for."
Ricky scoffed and vanished off into the night. He had a mission to start.
Hughes gazed in the direction Ricky had gone, over all the bodies and carnage the war had left. Humans and vampires should not intertwine. He decided in that moment to leave both his adorable wife and daughter and his long-time friend and his team alone. It would be easier that way.
Hughes wished his friends and family the best, and then vanished for the last time.
A/n: If anyone's wondering about Avisor Sylla, she was the elderly woman that Envy transformed into all the way back in Chapter 21.