AN: been meaning to get one last chapter in before the year was up.

Chapter 26: Back in Another Realm

This is gonna be….a long day.

April 19 (maybe), 2009

Fiore was positively giddy at the fuctionality of her legs. As Elric pulled himself up she was a moment's breadth away from dancing, her joy more than evident. The freelancer was happy for her but the absence of his Servants and fiancé gave him cause to be concerned.

"Don't suppose you'd know what's going on, by any chance, Fiore?"

Fiore's reaction, having finally stopped prancing about as she comprehended the gravity of the situation, was to pull her head to one side then the other. "I'm afraid not, mr. Belmont."

"Elric." he corrected her.

Fiore looked at him curiously. "Excuse me?" She wasn't offended by his correction of her, just not sure she understood.

"It's just Elric. Mr. Belmont is my uncle or grandfather."

She nodded, seeming to understand, whilst Elric continued to look around. Telling him "Anyway, this was not the intended result."

He tried reaching out to his partner telepathically. 'Mor?' But silence was the response. 'Mordred!' Still nothing. 'Gilgamesh? Enkidu?' He could not sense his servants. Just as he could see nothing for miles.

Where the hell are we? It's just like with that damn keysone but…less gothic.

Being reminded of the keystone did little to improve the freelancer's sense of trepedation urgency. Despite the idyllic setting, the place unnerved him. He was also worried. Mostly for Luvia, Mordred and the others. They could handle themselves. Shirou was more than capable of defending himself, as was his girlfriend, Rin. Luvia and Mordred were as well. Just like the rest were, Fiore was the one among those present he wasn't so certain about. Her servant was gone as well. So he wondered how'd she fare. His father and Celenike were of less concern, and if something happened to them, no skin off Elric's nose.

He should not be too worried about the others, but he could help but to.

Glancing around, seeking out anything that would be useful, wondering if they were trapped in some variation of a reality marble of Alagaddan design. It was more than possible: this occurrence was too similar to the effect of the Keystone to be anything else.

Jerking his focus back to Fiore he asked her "What was supposed to happen?"

Shirou screamed furiously. "You bastard!" He screamed and screamed and screamed and screamed. The horror before him was more than he could stomach—more than anyone would have been able to stomach. Watching motionlessly as Rin was held down and her clothes torn from her, violated again and again. All at the hands of Elric Belmont, but at the same time she was not. It resembled Elric greatly but something about it was different. The hair was dark, and the eyes were a permanent shade of crimson. His expression was more sinister than the one often bore on his visage. This Elric before him was a vile thing. It delighted in its savaging of Rin's body—licking her cheek, telling her "you're mine now," suckling at her breast—and glancing at Shirou with a wicked smile as he did so.

Rin had told him not to watch, and Shirou was left wishing that he had heeded her advice.

The others were not in much of a position to aid him. Gilgamesh was preoccupied, cradling clay that he thought was Enkidu. Enkidu was in a perpetual state of decaying back into his original form of clay. And Mordred was pinned to a wall by multiple lances—all of which were weilded by a Artoria Pendragon grabbed in black attire and armor.

So Shirou was forced to remain there in the scene of horror, feeling so traumatized he could almost sympathize with Guts (more than he already did).

"It was intended to reveal more information on something which Icecolle referred to as Alagadda." Fiore explained, while both she and Elric were still oblivious to the horrors which were transpiring against their friends. "From the experiments Icecolle performed while she was researching the artifact proffered no indication that this could happen."

Elric did not doubt her words—or at the very least he believed that she believed that was the truth. Fiore did not strike him as a girl who would attempt to mislead him intentionally. Though, he questioned her source of the information; if it was from Celenike he was certainly doubtful.

"If you say so…but—"

"Greetings!" a voice alarmingly cut Elric off.

The freelancer put himself between the source of the voice and Fiore, summoning Bleidd into his hands as he motioned himself to face that source. Finding a man in a suit standing before them. He had dark hair and babylonian skin, as well as crimson eyes.

"Who are you?" Elric demanded.

The man showed little emote response to the weapon. Seeming more annyoed by it if ever so slightly. "Welcome, Elric Belmont." Taking a slight inch of a bow. "I am Ulgus and have been dispatched to inform you of the ordeal before you."

"Ordeal?" Elric and Fiore both uttered.

"Yes." Ulgus told them, holding up a hand prepared to snap its fingers. "You shall seek out those you have lost and we shall determine you worthiness."

"My worthiness…and what make you think—"

And then Ulgus snapped his fingers. And with that snap reality unraveled and reforged.

They soon found themselves in the upper level of a large and expansive room. Dispelling Bleidd, he looked to Fiore to check on her. "You okay?"

"Yes." Fiore told him, appreciating his concern. She glanced around herself curiosuly, taking a gander at the new room they were in. "Where do you think we are now?" Approaching an elegant railing to look below.

Elric joined her, dispelling Bleidd. As he did so, his eyes widened for it was a sight Elric recognized well: it was a ballroom in Finland. He should recognize it all too well because it was the day and area where he had met Luvia so long ago.

James Rheon sat alone in a garden—having grown thoroughly sick of his brother's cruel acts—and thus opted to wait in the location within the Edefelt estate (which his family had come to visit for reasons which the boy could not recall) until the party was to truly begin. He was alone by choice for loneliness was his nature.

The boy thought little of his suffering as it had become the norm of his existance, a constant companion in life as misery was to Mary Shelly. He endured it until he could do so no longer on many occasions; and for that reason he seperated from his family. It felt good to isolate himself, or so he liked to believe, as it offered him time to reflect and keep his inner monster at bay. James did not relish the idea of hurting people (at least back then) but his brother's antics often tempt him severely.

It was all so…tedious.

"Well you're a gloomy-looking one." he suddenly heard a girl's voice.

James glanced upward to be greeted by the sight of a pint-sized, petite angel with long blond hair, accompanied by a similar figure (he assumed her sibling) appearing more timid and introverted than the one speaking to him. The young Rheon was slow to respond, being transfixed by the sight of the girl. She was in the same age range as himself and an adorable face at that.

Whoa…

People talk about love at first sight, this was something of that nature.

"Not very talkative, is he, sis?" The first cute one glanced over her shoulder to the second one then back to James.

"Mm-hmm" the second one nodded in agreement.

"Can I help you….um?"

"Luviagelita, Luviagelita Edelfelt." the girl introduced herself before gesturing toward the second one as she said "This is my twin sister."

Oh. crap.

He had been seconds away from having a crush on the daughter of the family whose garden he had been brooding in. The daughter of a father who he doubted would be too appreciative of the young Rheon thinking of his heirs in such a manner. Still…she was quite the looker for someone so young. James had heard that Luviagelita was adorable/cute, but she was more than he imagined.

"Apologies," Deciding he had fawned over enough, though his expression still sullen, James pulled himself up. "I am James Rheon. A pleasure."

"Good day, James Rheon." Luviagelita then proceeded to ask him "Why are you here alone? Should you not be with your family?"

"Respectfully, Edelfelt, there's only so much family tolerance you can ask a man to take." was James' response. Earning a giggle from Luviagelita.

"Not much in the way of familial love, I surmise."

"Not really." James told her. "They were waiting to meet with your family and I needed some fresh air."

"Well, your family is looking for you." Luviagelita informed him before grabbing James by the hand. "Come now, I would hate to see you garner trouble for a poor reason."

Then he was led back into the Edelfelt estate.

He was greeted by the cold gaze of Alvar Edelfelt as well as his Father and Stepmother who were none too happy to see him hand-in-hand with Luviagelita. Looking at him with murderous intent in their eyes. Only Lady Edelfelt seemed to be empathetic toward the youngster—amused, even, by the sight of the two holding hands.

When their hands parted Edward and Somnus were quick to sequester James and proceed with their usual bullying. Saying how he had embaressed them in front of Lord Edelfelt. The Rheon black sheep said little in response, he merely endured the verbal abuse as he always had, having long since found little to be gained in fighting back (knowing that they would more than likely rewarded his defiance with a beating) Then, once both felt satisfied, told him to find a spot to sit and and not cause any further problems.

James did just that, brooding in silence once again.

I hate them, he thought, I hate them more than any one word could describe.

He would do anything to make them suffer. He brooded on that thought. On what he would give for the chance to make them squirm as they had forced him to do on so many occasions since the day of his birth. That would have been nice. Again, they really test him.

Luviagelita watched him from a distance as he sat there. He was a solitary-looking one. Handsom in his own way. Seeming more intriguing than the other boys she and her twin-sister could see on the dance floor.

She made her way to him, grabbing him once again by the hand and the next thing James knew he was being pulled onto his feet and into a dance.

Elric smiled unconsciously. Remembering all of that day more clearly as he realized where they were. It felt…strange to be back in that place. In the spot where his friendship (or relationship) with Luvia first began.

How much things had changed. He was no longer that scared little James Rheon who had suffered abuse repeatedly. He was different, and it all felt as though it was a lifetime ago…or two.

Fiore noticed his smile. "What is it?"

"Oh. Uh, I believe I know where we are."

"Where would that be exactly?"

"The Edelfelt estate…or at least my memory of it."

"Luvia's family home?" Fiore proceeded to look around herself in amazement. "I had heard the estate was grand, but…this is more than I imagined."

"Yeah." Elric said dryly. "It looks just as I remember it. Spacious and overbloated."

"You've been here before?"

"Once or twice, when I was younger." Elric said cryptically. "Back when Luvia and I were kids my old man brought me here." Unaware he was starting to smile slightly more. "Happier times, I suppose."

"Why's that?"

"Uh…" He proceeded to tell her some of the context and she responded with some amusement.

"What was she like back then?"

"Luvia…?" Elric answered "Not too different from how she is now, I suppose." Keeping his eyes focused on the dance floor. "She was a bit like you, in some ways. Kind, adorable, easy enough to get along with."

Fiore blushed slightly with wide eyes. Elric did notsee it, if had it would have been like an arrow to the heart from her cuteness overload.

"Anyway, this is the Edelfelt estate. I just don't get why…" then suddenly movement from the lower floor caught Elric's attention. It was not swift enough to be almost like a flash, in fact it seemed to be intentionally slow—as though intended for the purpose of garnering attention, and succeeding in spades. "What was that?"

Before Fiore could inquire as to what he was speaking of, Elric bolted for the closest staircase. Descended with Fiore in tow, rushing, eager to see what the source of the movement could be. Hoping, almost praying that it would be useful in escaping from this hellhole of a reality.

Once they reached the spot where the shadowy figure had scurried toward, he heard a voice. "So you're the piss poor other I've been hearing so much about." Jerking around to the source of the words to see a man emerging from the shadows; a man who looked exactly like Elric Belmont.