Blood splattered across the throne room floor and Rahim almost relaxed when he realized that there wasn't enough blood. His blade was an inch away from Walter's neck, being held by the old man's hand that had a blade halfway through while he grasped the young man's hand. Not missing a beat, Walter pulled on his opponent's captive hand before stabbing into Rahim's right armpit with his broken stump of a spadroon.

The young man's face scrunched up in surprise before he was pulled and tossed over Walter's shoulder to the ground. Stonewell kept a grip on his right arm before dropping a knee into Rahim's chest to knock the air out of his lungs. The young man felt all the air leave his lungs as he struggled to keep his eyes open to see Walter's next move but something glinting above them caught his eye. The broken piece of the spadroon was falling down to them, Rahim had wondered how it got up there but remembered the old man had held the piece in his hand when the blade broke.

He threw it in the air so he could free up his arm.

Reaching up, he caught the broken piece of metal and slammed it down on Rahim's right wrist and impaled it into the floor. Their blood mingled as Walter's hand was badly cut but the Captain leaned back to observe his work.

Rahim was under him, his right arm pinned by both his hand and the broken blade from one of his spadroons. There was a knee in the young man's chest and one shin across both his legs. His opponent struggled to free himself but after a short time, he stopped conceding that he was indeed restrained. Walter remained vigilant as he racked his brain thinking of any way Rahim could possibly escape his grip, after coming up with nothing and double checking he had the young man restrained, he finally let out a breath of relief.

He did it, he won.

When those words echoed in his mind, his body demanded he rest but he ignored it. Now that he had Rahim restrained, what did he do now? He had a free hand, he knew the runt's body had reinforced bones and muscles so he wasn't confident in his ability to pierce his skull with a sword. He could go through the eyes but his fingers weren't long enough, which left one more option.

Raising his free hand, Walter placed it over Rahim's throat and began to squeeze. The young man did not panic but the old man knew that he couldn't breathe. Restricting oxygen to the brain long enough caused it to shut down which would eventually lead to death. The young man struggled of course but when it became apparent there was nothing more he could do, he stilled himself and stared into Walter's eyes unflinchingly.

If he was going to die, no logic in struggling in futility.

Elsa breathed a sigh of relief when Walter caught Rahim's weapon and flipped him over his shoulder then pinned him. Her heart hammered in her chest, the violent fight between the two men had her believe that one of them would die but Stonewell had managed an upset at the last second ending the conflict.

She was about to hobble over and try to fashion some ice restraints when Walter placed his free hand at Edward's throat and squeezed. She saw the initial struggle before he just resigned himself to it and she felt herself move without thinking.

"Walter, please stop!"

Stonewell did not let up his grip or even turn to look at her, he kept his eyes on Rahim's who looked unbothered with his impending death. Elsa hobbled over without Kai supporting her until she fell to her knees next to the two men.

"Walter, please stop, he's beaten, you don't have to do this."

The old man's face was in a strained frown as he continued strangling Rahim. He heard her and he himself wanted to stop but looking into Rahim's eyes, he could tell that if the young man lived, many others would die. There was no remorse or fear in his eyes, just hatred. Those same eyes used to belong to him and too many people had fallen to his hands, he didn't want another one of him running around the world.

It was regrettable, he really liked the runt, but he warned him.

If he became a threat, Stonewell said he'd deal with him.

"Elsa…leave…you don't…need…to…see this…"

Rahim grounded the words out with the same expression on his face but Elsa could hear the cracks in his tone. There was regret in his words but a resigned finality to them. Tears welled in her eyes as she stuttered out her words.

"E-ed?"

The young man's face did not change, nor did he answer her. He continued to stare up at Walter who continued to squeeze. Elsa in a desperate haze tried to peel the old man's arm off but his grip was absolute. Black dots danced in Rahim's vision and it was then that his face shifted.

Rahim's face turned softer, eyes grew warmer and were more open and regretful. He even smiled ruefully, knowing full well what was about to happen.

"I-i…'m…sor…ry…Wal…ter…I…wanted…to…be…bet…ter…b-bu…t…I…cou…ldn't…do…it…Pl…ease…don't…bla…me…yours…elf…"

His words were strained but they conveyed the young man's feelings of sorrow, regret, and acceptance. Walter said nothing and watched Edward turn his eyes toward Elsa.

"Elsa…yo…u've…be…en…the…li…ght…of my…life…and…I-i…will…al…ways…lo…ve…you."

The blonde fought harder to move Walter's arm but he still didn't budge. She knew that what she was doing was not smart, the Queen of Arendelle demanded she stop but Elsa refused. She didn't want to lose Edward and continued to struggle hoping to get the Captain to move.

Stonewell kept his face in a concentrated frown and on the outside, didn't seem like he would budge an inch but on the inside he was breaking. It killed him to watch Elsa struggle against him to save someone she cared for, but he knew what his duties were. He was to protect Arendelle from all threats, the runt was one of them.

Rahim would've killed Elsa if Walter hadn't stepped in, he tried to convince the avenger on a peaceful solution but was denied. Even now that he was strangling him, Rahim had no fear in his eyes as if he felt his life was meaningless. Thanks to Edward, Rahim now knew almost everything about Arendelle, allowing him to live would put their entire kingdom at risk. He had also entered into an intimate relationship with the blonde, what guarantee did he have that twenty years from now, Elsa won't wake up with a hand around her throat?

Every instinct in his body told him that Rahim needed to die, even if that meant losing the runt.

He tightened his grip, it wouldn't be long now. Rahim would die, Arendelle as well as Elsa would be safe. She may never forgive him but she would at least be alive and safe, he could live with whatever consequences she wanted to dish out.

He already had someone in line to replace him if anything happened, he didn't like it but Bowman would be a great Captain of the Royal Guard. Arendelle would rebuild, they were a strong and prideful people that carved this haven out of the cold ice around them. In time, Elsa will do what her father set out to do, the very thing that made Walter pledge his loyalty to the late King.

Throughout his life, Walter had met many different leaders and all of them wanted to kill someone in one way or another for some reason. King Agnarr was the only leader he met that wanted to kill an idea rather than a person.

King Agnarr, as brilliant as he was, wanted to kill war.

He wanted to make a world where people would fight with words, where they would exchange ideas rather than life and death. Walter thought him foolish, that the notion was impossible but with time, Agnarr proved he was serious and made steps toward that lofty goal. With his death, Walter expected his dream to die but Elsa kept it alive and well, making great strides to complete it.

Without war, monsters like him wouldn't be created.

Stonewell wholly believed that people like him and Rahim shouldn't be allowed to live. 'We'd cause too much pain.' he'd thought, even after everything he'd done he still doesn't regret any of it. It was just an acknowledgement that the only thing worthwhile about him was his ability to kill. All he was good for was removing others who would oppose his ruler's ideals and Walter was fine with that.

He would've conquered any kingdom Agnarr pointed at if it meant war would end. Instead, Agnarr made him Captain of the Royal Guard to defend, not conquer. He could peacefully live his life without having to kill unless it was in defense of another.

Walter did have a peaceful life that he sometimes couldn't believe he had. He fell in love again, lost that love to another; someone he respected and couldn't be happier for. He was able to change other people's lives instead of ending them, he was blessed to have settled here.

All of that would be burned away if he didn't kill the young man under him. He could do it, he had to do it to protect Elsa. That was his main jo-

Wait, it's my job yes, but I wasn't able to.

Two times he failed, not including any of the times today. The first was when she fled the village during her coronation, if it wasn't for Anna's indomitable spirit, she would be dead or in Hans' crosshairs. The second time, she was kidnapped and all he could do was organize his guards after they had been infiltrated.

If it wasn't for the runt, Elsa, his pseudo granddaughter would've been…

Stonewell ferociously shook his head. He couldn't allow himself to think like that, just a few more seconds and it would all be over. He kept repeating that thought in his head but he made the mistake of looking up into Elsa's eyes.

They were full of tears, pleading with him about a loved one.

It made the one regret he ever had resurface in his mind and Elsa transformed into his daughter, staring up at her dad asking where her mom was.

Walter banished the memory from his head as fast as he could but the damage was done. He began to doubt what he was doing, perhaps he could find a way to spare the two of them. He promised Garret he'd try and he did, but was there something else he could do? The runt was able to break through and say his final words to the two of them, maybe that meant he was strong enough to fight off Rahim?

Stonewell's instincts warred against his doubts, Edward always needed someone to bail him out of trouble. He couldn't be left alone, he was a child who was physically strong. He was an unreliable barrier between Elsa and any who wished her harm. All of his battles, he barely won or needed help to win, Walter himself knew he could do better than the runt even without Jorgen's offer. Why not get rid of the threat and become the protector that Arendelle needed?

He looked past Elsa at Kai and Gerda who had worried looks on their faces but remained where they were. He could see both of them had complete faith in him and knew he would do the right thing in the end. Walter wanted to roar at them, what was the right thing to do? Killing the runt so he could never endanger Arendelle or take one last chance on him to be the person Walter hoped he'd be?

Walter knew that after today, he would be gone and someone would have to uphold Jorgen's deal. He knew that he could do it and it would keep Arendelle safe but he already was too far gone to be better. Edward still had that chance, it was slim but it was there.

He'd be putting the runt through hell and forcing him to fight things he'd almost never be ready for. Could Walter take the chance that Edward would be strong enough to not be a threat to Arendelle, to be better than he was, and be able to defeat everything that would stand in his way?

Memories of the runt filled his mind, their training sessions, spars, arguments, all the times they spent together rushed through his mind. He was strong but always hesitated and had to have other people bail him out of trouble. He could never win on his own the first time. Walter told him time and time again that if he lost then the people behind him would die.

The runt couldn't lose, the more he lost, the more people died.

Walter never lost, he did everything in his power to achieve victory. No method was too underhanded for him, he'd do anything and everything if it meant victory. That was what he was taught and what he lived by.

"I'm sorry but I can't accept the way you live."

The runt knew nothing, he was idealistic.

"I'll do whatever it takes to protect Elsa."

Easy to say the words.

"I'm not that weapon anymore…"

Then what use were you?! Walter took him in to mold him into a weapon to protect Arendelle, he failed so it was time to dispose of that weapon. Regardless of how life had changed with him being there, his guards were improving, the people were warmed up to him instantly, and Elsa was finally able to do something that she wanted, not what the Queen of Arendelle should want.

All these things were possible because of Edward, could Walter replace the runt if he was gone?

The old man knew the answer was no.

Could Edward replace Walter if he was gone?

He wanted to say yes, his instincts told him no, but that old cold heart of his still held out a glimmer of hope. The runt may not win on his first try but he had what it took to go on, he proved it today many times and showed that he was more than just a weapon.

Walter knew that he could kill hundreds, maybe thousands of people and the world would never change, but Edward…he could see the runt had the same spark that Agnarr and Elsa had. He could change the world in his own way, it was a gamble, one he'd likely not live to see the end, but the old man thought 'what the hell, my old commander took the same gamble with me.'

The Captain's grip loosened on Edward's throat and allowed the young man to greedily gulp in mouthfuls of air. Elsa gasped in happiness as she watched the young man breathe and looked back up at the old man who once again showed his age. His wounds took a toll on him as he sweated and shook with fatigue, he looked ready to keel over with the slightest touch, a contrast to the powerful soldier that just fought. She was about to thank him when Edward beat her to it.

"Here I thought you knew better."

Rahim flexed his left side and a thin stick arm made of black dust shot out of his arm and stabbed itself into Walter's chest, piercing his heart. The avenger was face to face as he waited for the light to leave the old man's eyes. Elsa was shocked as some blood caught on her face as she screamed again but this time being even louder than the last time.

"WALTER!"

Stonewell didn't even look shocked or angry at what just transpired, he just looked resigned before smiling. He turned to Elsa, with a fatherly smile. "I want you and your sister to know that no matter what you do in this life, know I will always be proud and love you both." He then turned to Rahim and smirked at the young man with blood pouring out the sides of his mouth.

"As for you runt," Walter thumped Edward's chest with his fist. "I leave it to you. Sorry for putting so much on you before you're ready."

Rahim sneered before ripping out his arm the old man's chest and watching him fall. Time slowed down and his body fought hard to catch Stonewell before he hit the ground, the same way it did when Ahimoth fell in front of him. He didn't reach out then and he didn't do so now.

Elsa rushed to catch the Captain but his larger size only allowed her to slow down his descent into her lap. His eyes were partially open, and he now had a satisfied smile on his face. He had fought so hard for so long, there was a certain peace knowing he was going to die. If Jorgen was here, he'd have something to say about that but it seemed lady luck finally smiled down on Stonewell as he disappeared after going off toward the outskirts of Arendelle.

It's up to you now, Garret.

Rahim's left arm dissolved as he panted, the exhaustion hitting him all at once and his body almost shutting down when he relaxed the moment Walter hit the ground. His arm was still pinned which left Elsa out of his reach but it didn't matter, Wrath's feelings ceased the moment he stabbed the Captain in the chest. Rahim was free, unbound by any distraction that could plague his mind.

Now he just needed to leave.

He twisted in his pinned position and noticed a pair of legs in front of him. Mentally cursing himself for not noticing a new arrival, he looked up to see Garret with his hands shaking. His face was hesitant yet determined in what he needed to do next. It took Rahim a split second to realize what was about to happen and he lunged for the blade pinning him to the ground when his whole body froze.

Garret pulled on the black dust in his son's skin to immobilize him then slammed his back into the ground. Keeping him pinned, he walked over to Walter's body and knelt down next to him and reached a hand toward his heart. An icy slap knocked his hand away.

"Keep away from him!"

Sobel frowned in concentration of maintaining his control over Rahim but was still able to reply to Elsa. "Listen, he hasn't died yet so there's a chance I might be able to save him but I need to act quickly."

The blonde scowled at him and maintained a protective cradle around Walter's head, she wanted to scream and curse him but she could see Walter's eyes slowly closing, he didn't have long. She turned to Rahim who was pinned to the ground and struggled with a renewed fervor as if he knew something she didn't. Elsa couldn't deny the satisfaction to see the panic in the avenger's eyes, he had caused so much pain in such a short time, the fact that he was fighting against Garret made her grudgingly believe him.

Garret placed his hand back on Walter's chest before clenching his hand and Rahim went still. His eyes widened as he felt something pull at the entirety of the inside of his body. He looked to his father who had a deep sense of concentration before watching him snap his eyes close and fist shut and the world around them went completely black.

Edward felt something was wrong, very wrong. He was in a pitch black space as far as he could see. He tried to remember what happened before waking up here but all he got were fragments, him fighting Envy was one of them. He remembered feeling desperate and putting everything he could into killing the Jealous monster. Then it all went back to black, he wasn't even sure if he'd won or not.

Assuming perhaps he was back in Wrath's courtyard, the young man called out to the predator.

…

Edward heard nothing, not even the sound of his own voice calling out. He raised a hand to his throat and called once again, feeling his Adam's apple and throat move as if he was speaking but no sound was produced. He tried speaking again but it was still the same result, he then tried walking but with it being pitch black everywhere he looked, he couldn't tell if he was actually going anywhere or not.

Realizing there was nothing he could really do, he sat down and tried to recall the events that led up to this point. He remembered fighting Envy in the courtyard and the grenade blowing them both up vividly. It was after that things got hazy, a flash of him charging his opponent through a window, trading furious blows in the throne room, pushing against Envy's massive swords then nothing. When he couldn't remember anything else, his thoughts turned to Envy's new physique.

He was massive, easily twice the size he was since last time. Edward wondered what could've happened for such a change. He couldn't see Envy actually training, plus the Sin came out of Talib's black dust as if he was an object. Was that perhaps, Talib's ability to be able to store and release people? Maybe wherever Talib stored someone, they could get stronger in that space?

It made sense and was likely but Envy's eyes were evidence there was more to it.

He looked haunted whenever Talib spoke and he was crazed while fighting, whatever happened in that space, it warped if not outright broke the Jealous Sin's mind. The rage was still there and made him easy to predict but it was honestly distracting.

Edward hated Envy, what he did to Elsa would never be forgiven but he couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity when he faced the mentally scarred Sin. A subtle prod had him turning around and coming face to face with a door that he was sure wasn't there before. Opening the door, he walked through it and the black void was instantly replaced with a large room that seemed to be an art gallery of some kind.

The large room had a second story balcony built inside of it with hundreds and hundreds of portraits lining the walls. There were winding staircases on opposite sides of the room that led to the second story that formed an alcove under the balcony with a single row of portraits. Walking to the nearest portrait, he noticed that it was blank, as the one next to it, and the one after that.

It didn't take him long to notice all of them were blank. Frowning, Edward decided to check on the second floor and walked up to the stairs and could see there was something there.

Rows and rows of empty pedestals lined the second floor. He walked the rows hoping they weren't all empty but it seemed to go on endlessly despite the room size. Getting frustrated, he racked his brain trying to figure out why he was sent to this space when some movement caught his eye.

One of the pedestals had black dust form at the base of it before it became a pistol. Walking up to it, Edward squinted at it and for some reason it looked vaguely familiar. As he tried to remember where he could've seen this particular pistol, he heard the sound of black dust swirling once again coming from downstairs. Going down to the first floor, he noticed one of the portraits had black dust etching itself into the blank canvas. Walking up to the portrait, he got there as it finished and there was now a painting in the once blank portrait.

It was a painting of an Arendellian guard aiming a pistol at the painter.

One look at the man's face and Edward remembered it was the guard who shot Envy in the head after he had kidnapped Elsa. He remembered what Envy said, "I'm envious of that pistol." before he made his own.

Made his own…

As soon as Edward figured out where he was, every portrait and pedestal erupted with black dust, all of them furiously filling the blank spaces with weapons, different currencies, and exotic objects of all kinds. He glanced over all of them, amazed at the variety of items that were here. He walked the rows just glancing over the many imitations that Envy created until he came upon one pedestal that stood out from the rest.

Instead of white marble, it had an ebony base with rose engravings on the foundation before opening up with a deep red throne for a small simple golden band.

Picking up the ring, he turned it over and could barely see a name that was etched into it.

Sevika.

As he thought of her name, the ring began to pulse. Turning around to lean against the pedestal so he could examine it closer, he felt the ring start to pulse faster but slow back down when he relaxed on the pedestal. Glancing at it in confusion, he held it up and turned it over to see if there was anything special about it, as he did so it began to pulse faster when he held it to his left. Standing up, he followed the direction the ring pulsed faster and faster until he was in front of an empty portrait.

He watched black dust flow into the portrait and it was of a blacksmith creating the very same ring that was in his hands. The portrait showed only his hand presenting it to a man who looked to be a noble based on his fine clothes. After a few moments the portrait changed and now showed that same man proposing to a simple looking village girl, it would've been heartwarming, if it wasn't for the flowers on the bottom right of the portrait thrown on the ground. The portrait changed once again and it showed the couple dead on the ground, it was evident that time passed as the woman was heavily pregnant. Off to the side was a tan hand that held the same ring as the one of the woman's finger.

Edward at first glance thought that Envy had killed the couple and stolen the ring because he was 'envious'. It was something that Envy would do, given his lack of any decency but the small part of the young man that felt pity offered up another theory.

The first portrait showed a blacksmith making a ring for a noble, if the portraits were all from Envy's perspective then Envy had made the ring once upon a time. It then changed to him watching the noble proposing to a village girl while he had dropped flowers on the ground. Edward couldn't help thinking about Envy's namesake and conceded it was possible that Envy at one time liked this woman but lost his chance to a noble who proposed to her. Finally, the last image was of the two of them dead and him standing over their corpses with an imitation of a ring that was on the dead woman's finger. If Envy wanted the ring he could've just taken it as he had done with the pistol from the guard but instead he made a copy of it and left it where it lay.

It was uncharacteristic of the antagonistic hunter, and Edward wanted to think the worse of Envy but the second theory had made more sense than the first.

Envy used to be a simple blacksmith that had wanted a simple girl, but lost it to someone higher than his station and several years later he found them both dead and replicated the ring with his new ability.

It would explain why he would have a special pedestal for a simple tiny ring.

He had no way of knowing if it was true or not but considering the possibility he was right, Edward felt a slight pang of pity for the Jealous Sin.

Edward shook his head, he didn't know how he ended up in Envy's soul but he had no business being here. He needed to return back to Wrath's soul. He was about to go back up to the pedestal and place the ring back on it when the whole room started to shake violently. Portraits fell off the walls and when they hit the floor they exploded into clouds of black dust. The walls started to crack and sections collapsed all around him, forgetting the ring in his hand, the young man ran toward the exit.

He shouldered the door open and slammed it shut then leaned against it with his back to keep it closed. The jarring sensation of the violent shakes ceased as he was welcomed back into the black void. He struggled to catch his breath as he considered what he had just seen.

He had been in Envy's soul that was an art gallery. It didn't make much sense given Envy's disposition but perhaps the Jealous Sin's original host was someone who was artistic. A blacksmith was considered an artist by today's standards, plus Envy did have an attention to detail when it came to things he copied.

It was an unexpected insight into the type of person Envy's body belonged to which would have an effect on the Sin in some way. His namesake for one could have been what Envy's body felt when it belonged to its original owner. Losing the object of your affections to someone who had more than you would make anyone envious.

As he continued to consider all this, he didn't notice his copy walking up to him from around the other side of the door. When the copy passed him and turned on his heel to be in front of him did he notice. The copy's face was missing any kind of smile and all there was was an irritated frown.

"You've really gone and done it now. You and that stupid brat screwed every single one of us." Edward's face morphed into confusion, he didn't know what the copy was talking about or how he was even in this black void and not in Wrath's soul. The copy leaned forward cornering the young man against the door.

"I've been waiting for years for Wrath to finally have an inkling of thought and I get stuck with you, a weak willed child that always needs someone to bail him out. Rahim was a much better candidate than you even though he was impossible to control. The two of you both led us into this mess and despite my efforts, all of us are going to die now."

Edward couldn't look more confused if he tried. "Die? What do you mean what's happening?" The copy didn't answer, he leaned back out of the young man's face and in the same movement snapped kicked Edward in the chest.

The young man felt himself fly through the door he just walked out of and expected to be back in Envy's soul again but instead, he was greeted with a blackness that seemed vaguely familiar. As he fell, he could see the copy standing at the door to the black void. With apathetic eyes, the copy walked through the door and the broken pieces of the door turned into glass like shards and they reassembled themselves in the frame making the door disappear completely.

The two of them fell for what seemed to be an eternity until the two of them slammed into something solid. Edward expected the fall to hurt but all he felt was the sudden stop of his body as he laid there looking up into the blackness. The copy landed gently with his hands in his pockets looking down at the young man.

"Tell me, before we all die…"

As the copy trailed off, hundreds of Rahims appeared above the two of them with their blades at the ready. Edward's eyes widened in shock at the many copies of Rahim that appeared all around them and he knew exactly where he was.

"...do you know who I am?"

Edward was speechless as his eyes went from one Rahim to another, their faces all set in the exact same angry expression wearing the Mystic Guard uniform. He remembered pulling Wrath out of this space before while the copies of Rahim attacked the predator relentlessly and without mercy. He forgot that the copy had asked him a question, all he could think about was how he could fight so many all at once.

"It seems you still don't understand. How regrettable…"

The copy turned and began to walk away while raising a hand, placing his middle finger and thumb together.

"...at least we'll have the satisfaction of destroying your soul once and for all."

He snapped his fingers and all at once, the Rahim copies struck the sound of their katana cutting through water completely drowned out Edward's screams.

Garret could feel the two stones belonging to Wrath and Envy connecting to one another, binding each other's souls together. Doing so would create a passage between the two planes that existed in each of them, as such, he couldn't go directly to Wrath's soul, he had to enter the passage between the two first.

He found himself in a black void and looked around, he had never had the chance to be in one of these before. Talib would call this special place the Lane in Between, where the two souls could mingle with one another with no consequence on their respective planes. That being said, they didn't have to, if two souls forced together created this place, there was a chance they'd cut themselves off from one another making the Lane in Between just a void.

The alchemist dismissed this new experience and focused on his next important task.

Concentrating, he marked the passage he was in then linked a path from here to his soul then to Walter's which was fading fast. It took some searching but Garret could feel the sliver of the Captain's soul that was just about to disappear and tugged hard on it, bringing it through his soul and to this passage. A cloud of black dust enveloped the spot next to Garret and started to rage around in that one spot then started forming a body.

Walter dropped to his knees when his body fully formed, the weakness from his physical body shutting down had hit him all at once and drove him to his knees. A quick pair of hands grabbed his shoulders to keep him from collapsing and the Captain looked up to see Garret standing next to him with a guilty expression on his face.

"Walter…I'm-"

"Don't worry about it, it's not your fault."

Stonewell knew what the alchemist was apologizing for. The two of them had spoken before things had gotten out of hand. Garret was trying to plan some way to sneak Wrath away and save his son. Walter had already deduced his plan and informed him that there was someone more powerful than he who wanted Wrath and would know if the alchemist somehow managed to sneak off with him.

Garret was beside himself, he had gotten to know Walter over the years and knew that he was very capable of doing anything and everything to get what he wanted. The alchemist considered the possibility that he was lying and racked his brain trying to think of a way to abscond with his son's body but Walter had interrupted his train of thought.

Instead of a threat, he offered that he'd attempt to get Wrath to agree to allowing Rahim to be stripped from him. Garret at first didn't see much reason to entertain the Captain's request but recalled Wrath's surprising guilt over his actions. The Furious SIn had seemed to want to make up for the things he'd done and with the great respect he had for the Captain, allowing his son to be released was in the realm of possibility.

Walter also added that the person he spoke of before had planned on acquiring Wrath for himself so the two of them needed to take steps to prevent that from happening. One of those steps was erasing the trap that was set in the throne room that was going to siphon all the black dust from one to another.

Erasing the sigils was easy, comprehending how it worked and modifying the trap to suit their needs was the hard part and required time. Fortunately between Wrath's battle with Talib and Envy then Rahim fighting Walter, Garret was able to figure it out. He had been above the throne room the entire time, he had seen all of it, heard all of it.

Tears flowed down his face as his heart shattered with each word Walter spoke, his soul shattered when his son confirmed that the Captain was right that he did all those horrible things of his own free will. Even when Walter tried to give him a way out, tried to give a peaceful way forward, Rahim rejected his offer and chose to fight. The two of them clashed and when the Captain got the upper hand and was choking the life out of his son, Garret wanted to jump down to save his son, but Walter had given Rahim one more chance…

…only for his son to use it to deliver a fatal blow against the Captain.

It was at that moment, Garret realized the man down there wasn't the son Luna would have raised. So he jumped down and decided to try and make things right, which led to where they were now.

"If only I had been there for him…none of this would've happened."

Stonewell rose to his full height and watched the guilt that enveloped the father's face. As a father himself, he knew what it was like to fail a child, he had failed his daughter but he knew that it wasn't as simple as that. The Captain put a firm hand on Garret's shoulder and lightly shook it.

"Hey, look at me."

The alchemist looked up to see an empathetic expression on the gruff Captain. "I'm not going to lie to you, your absence did play a part in what your son is right now, but ultimately they decide who they are, not us. You are vastly different from what your father intended for you to be, same as me and my daughter. Your son has had a hard life and had to make decisions that led him to this point. Saying their wrong and he only made them because you weren't there nullifies all the struggles he had to experience to get to this point. You may not like it, but your son is strong, far stronger than most would be if they trained their whole lives, that's something to be proud of."

Garret supposed from a warrior's standpoint he should be proud but Rahim had gone through his life without feeling the joy of love or having a family. Haruna and their daughter were the light in Garret's life and made everything he experienced worth it, surely Rahim would feel the same if he experienced it for himself.

"All a parent can really do is give their child the option, it's up to them to take it or reject it to find their own way. You can keep holding out hope for them but we each are in control of our own lives, how we live or die is ultimately up to his, no matter how little choice we may have."

With that, Walter dropped his hand and picked a random direction in the black void then started walking, leaving Garret alone to his thoughts. The alchemist clenched his fist and fought the tears that were at the corners of his eyes. He had already lost so much, his son was in his grasp but he wasn't who he expected.

Walter had said that it was Rahim's choice and all a parent could do was hold out hope and offer them a way. Did he mean that Garret could use this last chance to save his son? Doing so would be a betrayal to both Walter and Queen Elsa. His mind pointed out that he had no true loyalty to either. He had used Arendelle as a place to hide, with this invasion, his hiding place was now compromised and he needed to move. Elsa's ice bracelet was a minor concern but one he was confident in dealing with.

His only priorities were his family; his wife and daughter, they were the only things that mattered to him.

And Rahim.

Yes, his son of course was his concern, he wanted Rahim to meet the new family he-

"I, on the other hand, know it's a pointless pursuit that takes away from more practical matters."

Rahim had said those words to reject Walter's offer. They came from his son's mouth but those words were something Talib would say.

Garret didn't want to believe it, he wanted to believe that Rahim could change the same way he did. However, he chose to be who he was, Talib had the same choice and chose to be who he was now. Rahim chose to kill all those innocent people, he chose to reject Walter's offer, and he chose to kill the Captain who had chosen to spare him.

The alchemist looked at Walter's back that started getting smaller before he jogged to catch up to the old man.

He now had to choose.

Hey guys I hope you enjoyed that cliffhanger. I'm gonna be hopefully wrapping up this arc soon in the next few chapters. I hope you all stay tuned and please drop a review telling me what you think. I wanted to make Walter's fight against Rahim longer but he's an old man and I think he put up a pretty good fight and I hope you all enjoyed it. Have a nice one.