I'm back! Here is yet another chapter for this little tale! I do hope you all enjoy it.
Warning: There will be a slightly dark scene in this chapter with just a teeny bit of gore. Nothing too bad, at least by my standards, but just thought I'd give a heads up.
I still do not own Fullmetal Alchemist…probably for a good reason.
A million thoughts ran through Roy's mind as he and Jean navigated their way back to the barracks. He had really been hoping that he would have some sort of lead after talking to Ed, but he still didn't have the slightest idea of who drew that transmutation circle or who performed the forbidden alchemy.
Although, there wasn't any evidence of an attempted human transmutation. He remembered walking into Ed and Al's old house and finding the monstrosity they unintentionally created. If someone committed the taboo, it hadn't been for a while and they were doing a good job of disposing the evidence.
It was incredibly frustrating to have not made much progress. They were running out of time too fast for the Colonel's liking.
The clouds had disappeared, so the very faint rays of sunlight shone through the windows as the sun started to rise. According to Zayne, the victims received their callings at midnight on the night of a full moon and a new moon. If the Jones brothers kept to their pattern, the sacrifice would occur around the same time.
Roy knew he had less than twenty-four hours to solve these murders and get Ed out of the Sanct. Despite Ed's protests, he was getting the young alchemist out way before the brothers would sacrifice him. Once the sun sets, he's ordering his men to raid the Sanct, whether he had answers or not.
Even though he wouldn't allow his youngest subordinate to become the next victim, that didn't stop the fact that it was now the morning of the day the Disciples of the Moon planned to sacrifice the kid…and he was alone.
He was well aware that he and Jean had no other choice. Ed wanted answers and to prevent more murders just as much as they did, so they couldn't blow their new cover. However, that didn't make him feel any better.
"We're getting him out," Havoc whispered just as they reached the barracks.
There was no question about that, but the reassurance was much appreciated. He was glad his Second Lieutenant knew him well enough to realize that.
The two snuck back in. Tiptoeing their way back to their beds, they noticed Zayne had already returned to his bed. The kid's eyes were shut and his breathing was slow. He seemed to be asleep. Given the long night all three of them had, he couldn't blame the kid at all.
Roy changed out of his cold, wet clothes as quietly as he possibly could before sliding under the covers. According to Havoc, the members of the congregation would start to wake up soon. Roy briefly entertained the idea of sleep, but it quickly fled his mind. He could only stare daggers into the ceiling and he knew his subordinate was probably doing the same.
He didn't regret going to see Ed for a second. He needed to, and not just to ask him about the human transmutation rebound.
Unfortunately, Ed was all he could think about. He had seen exactly how impulsive and violent Corinthian could be and he didn't like it at all that the man would be anywhere near his youngest subordinate. He didn't like Jeremiah and Absalom either. While they weren't exactly as violent as their brother, they just stood by as their brother did as he pleased. In a way, that seemed more dangerous.
The patters of footsteps snapped him back to reality. The Disciples of the Moon were starting to awaken. He couldn't help but think that this was going to be a very long day.
*break*
"I can't believe the sanctuary will be open to all of us for the entire day!" Sharon said as she and Riza walked outside.
The Jones brothers had summoned everyone to the courtyard just after sunrise. As for why, the First Lieutenant was certain she probably didn't want to know. This entire cult was insane.
She had been hoping to talk to Roy and Jean the second everyone got up. Jeremiah and Absalom's wives were so keen on making her feel welcome and settled in that they didn't even leave her to sleep until after midnight.
Not that it would have mattered if they had left her alone earlier last night. She didn't sleep at all anyway. She spent the whole night worried about Edward and what their plan was. She instinctively knew to play along until ordered otherwise, but she still didn't like not having the slightest idea of their next move.
"I take it that it's usually not?" the First Lieutenant asked, trying to keep the conversation going.
"No," the overly joyful woman responded. "The sanctuary is considered the holiest ground in the Sanct. It's the only place we can hear the Moon. The Moon can hear our prayers anywhere, but we can't hear the Moon. Since it's the most sacred ground, we usually only have our sermons and morning prayer in there. Brother Corinthian said that's how the Moon intended it to be. This must be important if they're leaving the sanctuary open to the congregation today."
"Have you ever heard from the Moon?"
Riza was genuinely curious. She wasn't sure what she witnessed when Absalom convulsed and claimed to have received a vision from the Moon. She was definitely grateful that happened. She was certain that Corinthian would have shot both the Colonel and Edward if that didn't happen, but it didn't make any sense. Did the same thing happen to the others in the congregation?
Sharon looked a little uncomfortable and sad for the briefest second.
"No, I haven't," she muttered gloomily, but she quickly changed back to her jovial demeanor. "But that's okay! I still have faith! Sometimes I just wish I could hear from the Moon like the brothers. Everyone in the congregation does, but the brothers have assured us that the Moon will speak to us when the time is right!"
Riza squinted as they walked outside. She had a sinking feeling she wouldn't like what the congregation had been summoned to witness.
Sometimes she wondered how the sun could still shine on the darkest of days like this.
People filtered out into the courtyard, migrating to the west side where she assumed the Jones brothers were already waiting for them.
"This must be another whipping," she heard someone walking just in front of them observe.
"I'm not surprised," someone else commented. "In my opinion, he deserves much worse than that, but I suppose Brother Absalom has to obey as the Moon commands. Maybe they have other ways for the alchemist to pay for his sins."
Riza couldn't believe what she was hearing and she didn't like any of it. Edward had already been through hell. She recalled the pain that slashed through her heart when she caught a glimpse of him left out in the freezing rain. She nearly flinched when she remembered the cracking sound that echoed in her ears long after he had his ankle broken.
How could these people think he deserved any of that? How could they think he deserved even worse?
"What's a whipping?" she hesitantly asked Sharon, secretly hoping it wouldn't be as bad as it sounded.
"It's a punishment for any disciple that has broken the Twenty-Five Laws of Righteousness. It's twenty-five lashes, one for each of the laws broken. Since joining the congregation, I've only seen it done three times. Twice for wayward members of our congregation that left and lived in darkness until they realized their mistake. The third was for Brother Absalom."
The First Lieutenant's eyebrows rose.
"He left the congregation and returned just over a year ago," she explained. "He returned when he started receiving visions from the Moon. The first couple of days after he came back, I didn't see my husband or Brother Corinthian for days aside from morning prayer and evening service. Brother Absalom was sharing what the Moon had revealed to him. My husband tried to convince him that the Moon had forgiven him and he had repented enough, but he still insisted on going through with the whipping. He was determined that if he was going to return to his position as a leader for our congregation, he needed to pay for his sins like everyone else."
The two woman joined the rest of the congregation as they circled around one of the lamp posts. She almost gasped out loud when she saw Ed on his knees with his wrists bound on either side of the post, keeping them apart. The young alchemist kept his head down, avoiding eye contact with anyone.
Sharon grabbed her wrist and guided her toward the front to join Corinthian and Absalom's wives. The First Lieutenant scanned the sea of people, catching a glimpse of her two comrades just before Absalom started to speak.
"Brothers and sisters, thank you for being here so early this morning. Like all of us that have wandered in the Darkness, Edward must pay for breaking the Twenty-Five Rules of Righteousness. He has yet to confess his sins against the Moon, so we must take these steps to help him repent and purify his soul!"
Corinthian handed Absalom the whip while Jeremiah cut Ed's shirt off. Riza's eyes widened when she saw the glare of sunlight coming off several parts of the whip.
There were metal shards embedded in it.
She tried to quell the nausea that immediately followed that realization, but she was failing miserably.
Glancing across the crowd, Riza could see her commanding officer. His face maintained its usual calm demeanor, but his eyes held something else entirely. A fiery rage burned within them. His hands unconsciously coiled into fists. It looked like he was about to spring forward and strangle Absalom with his bare hands.
He was pissed.
She looked back to Ed when she saw him raise his head slightly. He was staring directly ahead of him, straight at the Colonel. It was almost unnoticeable, but he barely shook his head.
Roy and Jean nodded back in understanding, but their faces darkened.
Ed didn't want them to interfere.
The First Lieutenant couldn't remember a time she had been so frustrated. She wanted to know what was going on. All she knew was that her youngest comrade was getting hurt, and for some reason unknown to her, he didn't want any of them putting a stop to it.
She couldn't stop herself from flinching when the whip cracked down on Ed's back. The young alchemist let out a grunt of pain in surprise. The blood that streamed down his back after only one lash just served to worsen her nausea.
There shouldn't be that much blood already.
Absalom flung the whip back, ready to strike again. The metal shards embedded in the leather tore through Ed's back. The kid was trying desperately to seem strong and not vocalize his pain, but even he couldn't help but scream in agony as the lashes continued.
Blood splattered on those who happened to be standing behind Absalom, unfortunately that included the First Lieutenant. Her eyes shifted down to her dress, noticing how the specks of blood got larger with each and every fling of the whip. Her brow furrowed when something that definitely wasn't just blood landed on her dress. Feeling along the cloth, she picked it off.
A small chunk of Ed's flesh.
Her hand flew to her mouth and she slowly backed away from the three wives and further into the crowd.
She had seen a lot of terrible things in her life. Hell, she had been in Ishval. Logically speaking, this shouldn't have been as unsettling to her as it was.
But this was Edward.
Edward was a part of their team, a part of their family. Seeing these monsters do these horrific things to him without any hesitation upset and angered her more than anyone could understand. Well, anyone aside from the Colonel and Second Lieutenant.
She couldn't stand to watch this anymore. She was at the back of the crowd and was about to leave when she bumped into a strong chest.
Roy grabbed her hand. He obviously noticed her trying to leave and was trying to comfort her.
The cracking of the whip and the agonizing screams stopped. Roy watched through the gaps in the crowd as Jeremiah untied Edward from the lamp post, sending the kid crashing to the ground. There didn't seem to be a single square inch of unmutilated skin left on Ed's back. His stomach flipped when he could see where Ed was missing chunks of flesh in his back.
Blood pooled around the young alchemist, staining the sidewalk in crimson.
It was no surprise he wasn't moving. He was probably unconscious. Roy couldn't help but be relieved by that thought.
"Wow!" one of the kids in the congregation yelled.
The young boy raced forward toward the fallen teen. His parents tried to stop him before he could touch the puddle of blood that was getting bigger by the second. The Colonel glanced around the crowd and noticed that all of the kids seemed to have a fascination with the blood flowing from Ed's wounds.
It was sickening. What the hell were the brothers teaching these kids?
Absalom chuckled as he saw the young boy running forward.
"No! It's okay! Let the children come! They need to see this and feel the spiritual power this purifying blood will provide them!"
Jeremiah and Corinthian dipped their fingers in Ed's blood, brushing them along the kids' foreheads as they crowded around the puddle. Absalom did the same, but beckoned his followers to him.
"Edward's purifying blood will give you spiritual strength as we prepare him for sacrifice! Come forward to receive this blessing!"
The Disciples of the Moon crowded in closer to the Jones brothers. Roy watched, disturbed as each and every member got Ed's blood wiped across their forehead as the brothers muttered something under their breath. He didn't want to participate in this. He wanted to set the brothers on fire for what they just did to his youngest subordinate along with everyone else for standing by and not even questioning them, but he couldn't.
He needed to respect Ed's wishes for now, even though he didn't want to.
Corinthian gave him and Riza a surprisingly warm smile as they stepped forward. He dipped his thumb in Ed's blood and stroked it across both of their foreheads.
"May the Moon be with you. May the Moon guide you. May the Moon save you."
As the congregation received their "blessing," they dispersed to prepare for breakfast and morning prayer.
Looking around for Havoc, Roy noticed Zayne walking back toward the archway of the Sanct with Havoc right on his heels. He didn't know where they were going, but he had a feeling to leave those two alone. The Second Lieutenant would update him on any useful information the second he got the chance.
He grabbed Riza's hand and led her inside. He took her down the halls Zayne took him through the previous evening. No one was around, like the kid had predicted. He couldn't help but wonder why no one came to this part of the Sanct, but he didn't dare question this opportunity. This was his best chance to talk to his First Lieutenant alone as well as check on Ed when the guards return him to his prison.
"With all due respect, sir, I know you must have your reasons, so you better explain to me why the hell we aren't calling our forces in and putting a stop to this right now!" she whispered threateningly.
He knew she was beyond worried about their youngest comrade. Having been kept in the dark since the previous afternoon, he completely understood why she was angry.
"Havoc and I found a human transmutation circle."
She stopped walking in shock, all signs of anger and frustration gone.
"Last night, Fullmetal's friend showed us a hidden door in the sanctuary," Roy continued. "He said that's where his dad disappeared to the night he received his calling from the Moon. He claims to have seen a flash of light before he left and returned to the barracks. He investigated the secret room again and saw the transmutation circle but didn't even know it was alchemy.
"None of the victims looked like the thing Fullmetal and his brother created when they performed human transmutation, so Havoc and I snuck into Ed's prison to see if he knew of any other rebounds that could occur. He was just as lost as we were. I initially thought the brothers were behind it, but they all have an alibi on the nights of the callings. Fullmetal wants us to play along. The brothers truly seem to think he was deceiving us, and he wants us to use this opportunity to figure out who's behind the transmutation and what's going on in the Sanct."
The First Lieutenant was stunned, both with the information her commanding officer just shared with her and how strong and selfless Ed was being. Even if it meant him being in pain, he was willing to buy them time to figure out the murders. She had always known that about the young alchemist, but it was something else entirely to see it.
"So unless we absolutely have to, we shouldn't call our forces in," she assumed.
The Colonel nodded.
"We risk the lives of everyone here if we call them in now. I know Fullmetal wouldn't be happy about that. Also, I'm certain that's not the only secret room in this building. The killer could potentially escape in the chaos, and Fullmetal would have gone through this for nothing."
Riza sighed and looked down at the ground. She didn't like this at all, but they really didn't have much of an option. Her main concern right now was Edward. She knew he wouldn't want them to worry about him, but she couldn't help it. The only way she could find any reassurance was knowing her Colonel had a plan to get the kid out no matter what.
As if he could read her mind, he placed his hands on her shoulders, causing her to look up at him.
"I promise, we're going to get him out and we're going to make those bastards pay for hurting our Fullmetal."
And there's chapter six! Sorry this chapter is a little shorter, but this just seemed like the best place to end it.
Yeah…the kids…and the blood…and the chunks of flesh…well I enjoyed writing it! I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter! School is already kicking my ass, but I will try to update this story as soon as I can! Until then, I wish upon all of you endless amounts of pizza and love!