Maes looked to his side at her face and smiled to himself. She was nervous about approaching Father at this time. They finally had all of them, but Maes knew that he wasn't ready to use his skills in combat.

"Relax."

She laughed. "Easy for you to say."

Slowly, she turned her head to him. "I've gotten used to it, but call me Aley. It's my name and it's the name I want to keep."

Maes nodded. "Aley. Just relax, Aley." He smiled and sped forward. "Let's just get her back and then go home."

Aley's attention turned to Lucy's sparks. They were all over the place, but they were all moving away from somewhere.

-Lucy-

"You want to know?"

Father grabbed her arm and pulled her up. "Tell me, how did Hoenheim make you."

Lucy smiled, blood dying her teeth. "He made us from the dead." She raised her arm and began to strip off her thick, coal-colored coat. As it fell to the floor, it's white fur forming a crescent moon at her feet, she undid her blue uniform's jacket. As it fell she spoke again. "We all died by the hands of a Homnuculus you created. I was shredded to ribbons by your first creation, Pride." The white tee shirt showed the massive scars that laced over each other on her arms and down her neck. "I was lucky that he left my head and hands in tact. The rest of me had to be mended."

"That explains nothing!"

Lucy suddenly turned her back to Father. She raised her hands and the pulsating air suddenly became still. She brought her arms in tight, ducking into a ball.

At first, nothing happened, and then, quite suddenly, she sprouted something like a pair of purple-feathered wings. They fell off her body before she got to her feet. As she turned, it almost looked like she moved in slow motion.

Her hair moved slowly, as did she.

Father was suddenly aware that she had moved from her spot.

"She is the Homunculus of Diligence. Able to use the air to move. She has no place to stand anymore." She slowly raised her hands and her eyes opened. Her right eye was black and her left eye was normal, with a purple iris. "She is my vessel. Hoenheim spent many nights mending her to something like a human. She still has the absence of internal organs. She is granted with the power to move at such high speeds that she seems to be still to this one."

Father slowly sat down. "Gifted with powers, you say?"

Diligence smiled. She placed her hand on her shoulder and bowed to him. "You are not so lucky. Diligence speaks only for this one. She does not speak for the ones that stand about and listen of their own will. May Diligence speak only to you?"

They slowly backed away, but Father held up a hand. "No, whatever you have to say can be said in front of them."

A smile as evil as was human split Diligence's face. She lifted her head and the smile emanated a deep, unnerving aura. "Diligence was killed during the Ishvalian Civil War. She was mistaken for one of them. This one's first born, Pride, could not see that Diligence was one of the soldiers. Hoenheim came when Truth told Diligence to return home and wait for a man of gold hair to give her life once more. This one does not know, nor shall ever know, that Diligence's message must be heard."

He leaned forward. "Speak."

"Those that walk among the sacrifices are no more than the ants that begin the cycle."

Father's eyes suddenly widened. "The circle..."

The smile became crooked and somewhat deranged. "We are all and you are nothing. There is Truth and there is Lies. There is Patience and there is Wrath. There is Kindness and there is Envy. There is Humility and there is Pride." A smile more evil and more menacing came to her face as she lifted her torso, slowly. "There is Diligence as there is Sloth. There has always been Temperance alongside Gluttony. There will always be Charity as there is Greed." Her head was finally upright and her shoulders were square. "And there is always going to be Chastity for the Lust."

"The equivalent exchange." Father stared at her.

Diligence's missing eye suddenly rolled and a red eye stared back at him. "There is always something to oppose this one. In this life, there's always something that will stop this one and that will be Diligence."

"The message you delivered, send one back." Father pointed right at her. "Your two friends and you will send a message to Hoenheim."

Diligence's body never wavered. Kindness skidded to a halt beside her as Patience landed next to her.

Envy's eyes widened. "YOU!"

Kindness laughed. "Yes, me. I seem to be shocking a lot of people today." He smiled brightly at Envy.

"State your message to us. We will listen and deliver it to the Messiah." Diligence's eyes were stern.

"Tell him that I don't fear him. He's going down. It doesn't matter what he tries, I'm still strong enough to take him down." Father looked away. "Now, get out of my home before I do hurt you so badly he won't recognize you."

Diligence smiled warmly as Lucy's icy blue eyes came back. "Very well. Thank you, Father. Your hospitality was quite kind."