It was probably about half a mile before I finally stopped running. My legs ached and I panted heavily as I looked up at my new surroundings. I managed to make it to a little town northeast of Central, or so I had to concrete walls and cobblestone streets a miss-match of different architectural generations, but otherwise very uniform with winding streets that all converged into a single circle around a large church. There was something quaint about it but I couldn't quite discern why.

As I stepped along the stone path, I couldn't ignore the burning of my padded feet any longer and searched around for some shade to hide under. To my right, I found a darkened ally, tucked between two buildings and I quickly cantered over to it. Ducking into the low light, I laid down, allowing the cool ground below to cool my body temperature and paws. It was considerably hot, and my fur only made that more so. Licking my lips, my saliva did nothing to wet my mouth. Water had long been forgotten since I ran away from that prison . I had been so scared, and tired from running around, I'd hardly had the chance to eat let alone drink much of anything before I reached the desert. I'm not sure whether it's been days or months since my escape, the cool breeze of short nights being my only indication the days were passing. If I had to assume, it was currently mid-summer, my knowledge of seasons and earth's rotation being basic at best. The sun burning above me certainly made me think I wasn't far off.

As I rested, I listened to the calm sounds of sand drifting along as it was carried by the wind, and sounds of light chatter, as a few people skirted along the path, passing me unnoticed. For once, it was nice feeling invisible. I could just sit quietly with no one to poke or prod me or try to grab at me unwarranted. Being what I was, it wasn't a wonder I was gawked at, but that being said it wasn't always a joy to be something looked at. Being spat on, kicked, or shooed away was just as common as being stared at as I was beginning to learn. Humans could be so unspeakably cruel, and to think I was created by them.

My stomach lurched suddenly, pulling me from my thoughts and I whimpered softly despite myself. The all too familiar pang of hunger gripped my insides after days of not eating, it was a wonder I made it this far. Getting to my feet with a whine of protest, I stretched my neck to peer around the cement wall onto the street. Mid-day shadows lurked along the buildings as the sun continued its trail across the sky. A sudden smell flitted through the air and I timidly sniffed at it. It was a warm aroma, spicy, and strongly smelt of charcoal. The unmistakable scent of meat freshly pressed on the grill was remarkable. My stomach growled comically loud and I had to stop myself from drooling everywhere. I was so hungry my limbs trembled and my mind swooned. The simple desires of an animal were all that moved me as my body was guided to a quaint little café a few buildings away. My tongue flopped out of my mouth, slack against my bottom jaw as I panted in anticipation. Stupid canine instincts had a way of getting the best of me.

I came to a slow stop a few feet from the café to keep my distance. A tall bar made from stacked bricks and a wooden plank stood In front of me, and an equally tall lanky man stood behind it, busy in his preparations for his feast. Despite myself, my tail began to wag in a familiar gesture of happiness and goodwill. I'd learned over my short interactions with humans that my long appendage swaying behind me was a sign of peace and was often rewarded with small bits of food or gentle pats. Regardless of my intentions to use it or not it was quite popular with the hairless beings. Of course, it wasn't always foolproof, and sometimes I had to take a gamble at whether or not I was dealing with the empathetic kind or not. It wasn't long before the man behind the counter looked down at me with a small hum and after soon realizing I was there, he swatted in my direction with a metal tool.

"Get away! Get out of here you mangy mutt! Go on, git!" Continuing to swat at me I yelped and scampered out of the way, stopping a few short steps away to look back at him. The man had taken no time to shoo me away and I couldn't help but feel a twinge of pain in my chest at the clear disgust on the man's face. With a small whimper, I trotted down the lonely street, carefully staying close to the walls in case I needed to duck and hide for any reason. As I continued to walk, I couldn't help but think back to the man's face. At any other time, I wouldn't have judged him for what he did, not really. Most times I wouldn't even try to interact with the humans…but I guess, I had hoped this time would be different. But I suppose that's just wishful thinking on an empty stomach.

I walked hungry and tired until I reached the steps of the tall church I'd made note of earlier. It stood with a light radiance I couldn't explain. I wasn't much for churches, being a non-believer of religion since I could remember, but the way the sun shone down on the intricate carvings and dips in the pillars, was almost beautiful and it felt…welcoming. It was a strange feeling for sure, but if it was a choice between a stuffy church and scorching hot pavement, I'll choose the latter.

Climbing up the steps slowly, I could hear a commotion coming from my left and noticed a crowd begin to gather around the left side of the church. 'So that's where everyone went,' I thought to myself, before skipping up the steps to the south side entrance but I stopped myself once I reached the top. Ignoring the hot surface below me, I turned to look back over the dusty town. I couldn't have imagined what I saw when I did. Off a few feet into the middle of the street stood the suit of armor and the kid in red. It seems they've made it into town in one piece. I was glad to see they made it okay. I wasn't sure they'd make it judging by how slow they were traveling before. As I peered down from my place upon the steps, I saw their eyes meet with mine and a took a good look. Red and gold-colored orbs squinted under the radiant shine of the sun as they tried to discern what they were looking at. We stayed like that for a few moments. When I realized we had been staring at each other, I pulled my focus back to the church's entrance before heading toward it. I wasn't sure if they'd follow me, but I hoped maybe they would. Maybe then we could properly meet, and I could figure out what exactly drew me to them in the first place. For now, I think I'd like to take a nap. I'm sure we'll run into each other again soon.

Taking in a deep breath, I stepped into the church through a cracked front door and took in the smell of the cool air. 'This will do.' I stepped lightly as I trotted further into the hall, and excitedly awaited my much-needed nap.


Stepping into the church, Edward and Alphonse took in the sights of stone walls and floors, torches mounted and lit against the dingy walls aligning the hallways. Carefully, the brothers proceeded down the hallway to their right, being sure to mind the doorways as they passed. It wasn't necessarily illegal to enter the church by any means, but when it concerned the philosopher's stone or any other potential dangers, you could never be too careful. Turning down at the end of the hall, Edward eyed the following hallway from around the bend and saw two double doors that hung wide open. Light poured out from the room ahead and Edward gestured for Alphonse to follow.

Arriving at the doors, he peered into a small chapel room with rows of benches leading up to a podium that had an enormous statue of Leto holding a staff at his side. Looks like this is where people go to pray. It wasn't until Edward looked back down at the podium that he noticed a young woman bent down on her knees in quiet prayer. Slowly, Edward stepped into the room, his eyes scanning the benches for any hidden surprises. He did say this town was full of them. Before he could pass another bench, a ball of black caught his attention. Down by his right, was the black dog he'd seen earlier outside the church. He reached out a hand slowly to pet it, when the dog looked up with a snap of its head and its eyes peered back into his own.

Gray-blue orbs stared up at him with an intensity he wasn't expecting. Its eyes stared at him as if it were an intelligent creature who could see into his soul. Edward retracted the hand and the dog growled softly before leaping out from the bench towards him.

"Ah!" Edward shouted, reeling back out of the way as the dog lunged forward before completely passing him and skirting off towards the door and out into the hallway.

"What the hell..?" Edward said quietly as his heart raced slightly and he continued to look at the double doors where the dog ran off. He considered following it but ultimately decided otherwise. There wasn't much reason to chase after it now. After all, he wouldn't even know what to do if he did. Edward couldn't help but think about the way those eyes looked into his own. It was almost as if it was talking to him subconsciously. 'Could this place possibly get any weirder?'

"Are you her owner?" A soft voice spoke from a few feet away and Edward shifted his head to the side to see who was talking to him. It was the girl from the alter, she stood tall and thin, wearing a long white, mid-thigh length dress that fanned out around her legs and had hair a dark brown with pink colored bangs that shaped her face nicely. She paused a few steps beside him and Edward adjusted to face her with a small grunt.

"No she's not ours, but we followed her in here, and well…, looks like she's run off again.." Alphonse spoke before Edward could say anything, now standing just a few inches from his brother as he explained.

"The architecture is beautiful, do you work here?" Alphonse asked and the girl gave him a small smile, hands clasped together against her chest.

"Oh, yes I do. It's not a lot, but I do some cleaning for Father Cornello during the day, and I like to come and pray when I'm done." She said, gesturing to the large statue behind her.

"Are you two interested in Letosim? That must be why you're here." The girl commented with a glint in her eye. If Edward didn't know any better, he'd have thought she was swooning or something.

"Nah, can't say that we are. We're here looking for Cornello, you happen to know where he might be?" Edward said swiftly, and the girl visibly deflated slightly moving her hands down to rest under her stomach.

"He should be in his quarters right about now, but I'm afraid only people in the Leto faith can speak to him directly," she said softly, and the boys shared a sigh of disappointment before her eyes lit up again as she continued. "But I'm sure if you joined the faith, Cornello would allow an audience with you! We're always looking for new members." She said cheerfully, Ed and Al exchanged glances with each other in their silent communication kind of way. This certainly wasn't something Edward would typically agree to but if it would get them access to Cornello then…

"That won't be necessary," A voice spoke from behind them, and Edward turned to see who it was. Cornello the large man, stood at the entrance of the chapel, two larger men in black standing on either side of him. The older man's face never dropped a smile and squinted eyes as he stepped past the brothers and over to Rose's side. He rested his hand on her shoulder and she turned to look at the devout father with confusion and admiration.

"Thank you Rose for leading these two right where I needed them. I've been looking forward to meeting you, Fullmetal Alchemist ." Cornello said, all-knowing as he continued to smile at the two young alchemists before him. The prophet was already quite familiar with the guests who had entered his church long before he stepped into the room, his subordinates quick to inform him of their arrival. Edward's brows furrowed as he glanced around the room, taking note of the burly guards who stood blocking the exit. Choosing to play along, Edward rested his hands on his hips and flashed the holy man an almost arrogant smirk. One he'd practiced many times before with previous adversaries.

"So you know who I am? Certainly makes introductions easier. Tell me, why does a prophet like you have any business owning a philosopher's stone? Are you trying to compensate for something? Or maybe…bring someone back from the dead?" Edward's voice lowered dangerously as he eyed Cornello's stiff form, the man's expression grew even brighter as he replied.

"Of course not, only a fool would attempt something so heinous. But perhaps you might know something about that, wouldn't you Edward Elric?" The priest countered, his words sizzling with passive aggression, and a squinted eye cracked open to peer down at him. Edward growled at the indication and took a step forward upping his own intimidation.

"Since you know so much about us, why don't you go ahead and give us what we came here for? We'd be more than happy to take that stone off your hands. I might even be persuaded not to report back to the military what you've been doing here."

"I'm afraid that won't be possible as I have my own needs for the stone. But please, be my guests.I must insist you stay here for a while. Cray, Why don't you give these boys a little…help to relax ?" Cornello said with a smile of sinister amusement and before Edward could respond, a crash from behind him pulled Edward to face the exit of the room. Pushed roughly to the floor was Alphonse as his arm was tugged behind his back by one of the guards, pinning him to the ground. Alphonse tried to struggle but found the awkward position rendering his metal body useless.

"Alphonse!" Edward managed to shout and took a step forward to aid his brother but was stopped with a swift knock to the back of his head, sending him careening forward with a small gasp. Falling to the floor with a loud thump, Edward's vision began to swim, the edges of his sight becoming dark, and a startled scream from somewhere above him was all he could hear before his world went black.


Edward awoke with a throbbing pain rolling through his neck and head. His breath hitched slightly, the pain growing more intense as his senses returned to him. Opening his eyes, he took in the sight of a stone ceiling as it curved into a point at the tallest part of the room. He realized he was laying on his back, limbs sprawled out limply around him and he moved his palms to test the surface he was laying on. Smooth stone made of sand moved and curved around his fingers as they glided along the floor. Or was it concrete? 'Where the hell did that bastard dump me?"

"Brother? Are you okay?" The familiar tenor of his younger brother's voice rang through steel near his left and Edward sat up with a jolt, head pounding at the sudden movement. Turning his head, Edward tried his best to look at his brother who was hunched over his knees next to him. Alphonse looked at Edward from his side and waited for his answer when a sudden sound from further away grabbed his attention.

"I see now…why you've come in search of the Philosopher's Stone." A voice sounded out from across the room causing the boys to snap their attentions towards the disturbance. Cornello stood tall, hands resting over one another as he gripped a black cane in front of him, standing on a long brick platform with a wooden railing that stretched across a wall in the back of the room. Next to him stood a resigned Rose, her hands clasped in front of her timidly as she remained silent, head bowed in submission. The boys rose to their feet, despite the throbbing protest of Edward's head and limbs. Sucking in a pained breath he tried his best to push back the pain as he glared up at Cornello.

"You boys really committed the taboo. The ultimate sin. Human Transmutation. " Cornello continued, his squinted eyes hiding his true thoughts, only the corners of his upturned lips indicating how he was really feeling. Amusement, satisfaction, curiosity, and maybe even sick superiority. All could be interpreted from the man's expression as he peered down at them.

"Seems you've got us all figured out." Edward hissed through gritted teeth, fists clenching at his sides as two golden eyes bore into the holy man. The Elder man's thick brow rose in amusement as he peered through thin tired eyes and he couldn't contain his laughter.

"You're a feisty one, aren't you? It's clear to me you suffer from the sin of wrath," His one eye cracked open and his teeth bared at the teen. "Among others," Edward growled low in his throat and Alphonse whispered something from beside him but it was ignored in favor of his hot retort.

"How about you get down here and I'll show you some wrath?!" Edward swung his metal arm out in front of him to accentuate his point, his fist grasping at the air as he glared at Cornello.

"I'm too old and not nearly stupid enough to think I could handle a one-on-one with you, Edward," Cornello grinned wide and wicked as his left hand rose along the side of his face, the back of his hand facing them. "but, I can't say the same for my pets." Nestled into the silver band on his finger, the philosopher's stone began to glow a brilliant red.