One Final Obstacle
Ed clenched his jaw, still staring at the scene that unfolded before him. A part of him wanted to believe that this wasn’t happening, that it was some kind of a bad joke or a nightmare. But it wasn’t so. Envy was really standing in the centre of the room with a manic grin on his face and holding Dr. Marcoh at knife point. The doctor himself was gagged, his eyes reflecting his terror as the blade grazed his throat, almost breaking the skin.
“So…” Ed said. “I guess now we know what became of you. You just showed your heels and ran like the coward you are.”
“I’m not planning on dying before I watch you suffer,” Envy replied, his voice resembling a growl. “You may have gotten your bodies, but was it worth the price? Or did you mean to make a vegetable out of your precious dog?”
“How do you know about Beregond?” Al asked, looking at the homunculus.
Envy clicked his tongue in disapproval. “Really, Alphonse, dear brother of mine… I thought you would have known me by now. Just because you don’t see me, it doesn’t mean I’m not behind you, wearing the face of a dear friend and ready to tear your heart out.” He looked at Ed, his grin becoming crueller. “You know the feeling, don’t you?”
“Then why this?” Ed asked angrily. “If we were at your mercy as you claim, why are you willing to drag an innocent man into this?”
“Now that’s a good question,” Envy admitted. “Yet the answer is as simple as they come: you don’t deserve an easy death. And when I heard about the poor Gondorian’s state, I knew I had quite the golden opportunity in my hands.”
“What does Dr. Marcoh have to do with anything?” Al demanded exasperatedly. “He’s of no use to you!”
“He is to you, and that’s enough!” Envy cried. “It will be gratifying to know that you will spend the rest of your lives watching your friend ebb away, his mind lost forever, while tormenting yourselves with the inescapable guilt that you could have saved him but didn’t.”
Ed tensed as a terrible suspicion crawled in the back of his mind. “What have you done?”
Envy’s grin didn’t waver for a second as he nodded to his left. Ed and Al looked in the same direction, horrified to see that all the vials that at one time or other contained Red Water were destroyed, shattered on the floor.
“NO!” Al exclaimed.
“Where is it?” Ed demanded, glaring at the homunculus. “What have you done with the water?”
“Technically, it wasn’t water anymore. And I was hungry…” Envy replied, licking his lips purposefully.
“You bastard…” Ed murmured, barely keeping his temper in check.
“No more than you,” Envy said. “And now for the final act. Say your goodbyes to Dr. Marcoh.”
Both boys gasped, knowing what that meant. They lunged forward, hoping to stop Envy before it was too late; but it wasn’t meant to be. Blood spilt everywhere as the homunculus slashed the doctor’s throat and then shoved him away like an unclean thing.
“Al!” Ed cried.
“On it!” Al cried back, rushing at Dr. Marcoh’s spasming form.
If Envy meant to stop Al, he never had the chance. Ed had placed a well-aimed kick on the homunculus’s jaw, only to punch him on the stomach in the next moment.
Envy sprang back, barely fazed. “Heh… I didn’t even feel a thing. Makes you wish you had your automail back, doesn’t it?”
“Then let’s try again!” Ed declared, clapping his hands. A spear sprang from the floor amid the crackling sound and lights of alchemical reaction, and the young alchemist grabbed it with one hand.
“Time to die,” he declared, setting himself in attack position, and then charged for the kill.
Meanwhile, Al had troubles of his own. He had placed a piece of cloth on Dr. Marcoh’s throat in the hopes of somehow stopping the bleeding, but now it looked like an impossible task. Dr. Marcoh was losing too much blood and too fast. He was dying and there was nothing Al could do.
“Doctor, please… I don’t know how to help you…” he whispered tearfully as he watched the life fading from the man’s eyes. “How can I close the wound?”
Dr. Marcoh didn’t say anything, nor did he attempt to. He simply patted the boy’s hand, looking at the dove-grey eyes with a look of sympathy.
“No! Doctor, please! You’ve got to stay alive! Beregond needs you!” Al shouted, and he pressed the cloth further. “Don’t give up now!”
What happened next took the young boy by utter shock.
Ed attacked again, but Envy sidestepped with the grace of a feline before the spear would harm him. Seething, Ed lunged forward, sliding part of the way to knock the homunculus off his feet. Envy was still faster, though; he just grabbed the spear and yanked it away from the young alchemist’s hands, a broad grin on his features.
“You know… you really ought to learn from your mistakes, Ed,” Envy declared, snapping the spear in two. “Every time that you try to fight me, you either end up hurt or killed.”
Ed tried to get on his feet, but Envy managed a kick on his jaw that threw him back on the floor.
“I can do this forever,” Envy taunted, and he grabbed both Ed’s arms, preventing the alchemist from clapping. “That’s more than I can say about you! What makes you think that you can defeat me now, when I’m as strong as ever?”
Ed struggled to get himself free, but it was in vain. Envy was just too heavy, and his grip too tight.
“You should simply accept your fate,” Envy suggested. “It will be easier for both of us.”
Never! Ed’s thoughts reached to a scream as he desperately fought on against the homunculus. He had to get his hands free, he had to win; he didn’t want Beregond’s sacrifice to be in vain. He had to keep fighting, no matter what!
His hands moved, just a bit, but it was enough. In the next instant, his overcoat was alchemised intro strong bonds around Envy’s hands and feet. The homunculus was so stunned that he didn’t have time to react as he lost his balance, giving Ed his chance to get up. He stared at his hands incredulously, then back at Envy… and everything fell into place.
“How is that possible?” Envy asked, doing his best to break the makeshift ropes. “You couldn’t clap!”
“Someone I know once told me, ‘Think your enemy has a weakness and it becomes his strength,” Ed answered, eyes narrowing dangerously. “You just made that mistake, Envy.”
Envy snarled and broke his bonds, but Ed was ready for him. He waved his hands once and a great spike emerged from the wall, piercing the homunculus’s stomach through and through. Blood burst out of Envy’s mouth, but he didn’t give up. He broke the spike in two with a single punch and took out the remaining piece from his body.
“Interesting tactics, Ed, but futile,” he said, licking the blood from his lips. “I’ll always keep coming back for you!”
“The hell you are,” Ed said, waving his hand again, a deadly glare in his eyes.
Envy grinned, his wounds already closing. But then, all mirth left him as he doubled over in pain and writhed on the floor helplessly. Scream after scream left his lips, and his violet eyes widened tenfold.
“What is… happening… to me?” he managed to utter amid his screams.
“Red water poisoning,” Ed answered coldly. “I pierced your stomach open and then I liquefied the stones in it so that they entered your system unprocessed and raw. Even your body can’t metabolise the red stones in that state, so your organs are getting deconstructed from the inside.” The teen alchemist stepped closer, his amber-coloured gaze locked on Envy’s writhing form. “Congratulations, Envy. You’re dying.”
“You little…!”
Envy never managed to finish his sentence, for another series of screams tore off his chest. Even those, however, started growing hoarser by the minute, and tears sprang in the homunculus’s eyes.
“So that’s it?” he croaked, glaring at the boy. “You’re just gonna stand there and watch me die?”
“For someone who enjoyed inflicting pain to others, you sure can’t take any pain yourself,” Ed all but snarled. “All these lives you’ve toyed with, all these people you’ve killed… Tell me one good reason why I should show you any mercy.”
“Who’s asking you to?” Envy said. “You are the bastard’s son! I didn’t expect anything less than this from you!”
Ed smirked. “Yeah, I guess I am.” But then the rage in his heart calmed and his features softened upon his brow. “But you were once his son, too, and I don’t think he’d want this.”
With that, Ed waved his hand once more and put an end to Envy’s agony; the spike he alchemised ran through the homunculus’s chest in a heartbeat. Envy spasmed just once, and then his eyes emptied of all life and he breathed no more. The last of the homunculi was gone at last.
Ed wanted to rejoice, he really did. But he just remained on the same spot as if rooted there, numbness almost overwhelming him. That is, until he remembered himself and willed his limbs to move once more so that he would find Al. He didn’t dare think what awaited him in the next room, but he also had to know if everything had truly been in vain.
“Al?” he said, stepping slowly in the room.
He found him kneeling by Dr. Marcoh, his hands covered in blood. However, Ed didn’t expect to see Dr. Marcoh sitting up weakly, checking himself and no slash in his throat.
Ed felt his eyes widening. “Al?!”
Al finally faced his brother, an almost identical look of shock on his features.
“I… I don’t know how it happened,” he stammered. “It was almost as if… I willed the wound closed. I didn’t even clap!”
“I believe you,” Ed said quietly. “I don’t have to clap anymore either.”
Al looked as though his jaw would drop on the floor. “We’re like Beregond now.”
“Yeah.” Ed knelt beside Al and scrutinised the dazed man. “How are you, Dr. Marcoh?”
“Weak,” he answered. His voice came out hoarse and he was still trying to catch his breath. “The homunculus?”
“Gone,” Ed replied and left it at that. “Can you stand?”
“I’ll try,” Dr. Marcoh said, and he pushed himself back on his feet. In the next moment, though, he sagged against the boys, the effort proving too much.
“Whoa!” Ed exclaimed. He quickly offered his body for support and he helped Dr. Marcoh back on the chair.
“I’ll bring some water,” Al said, hurrying to the kitchen. Moments later, he appeared again with a glass in his hand, and he handed the man the precious liquid.
Nodding his thanks, Dr. Marcoh took a few sips and then placed the glass on the table.
“You feeling better now, Doctor?” Ed asked, still keeping his eyes on Marcoh. Though he couldn’t see any evident injuries, Ed was still quite concerned.
“Yes,” Dr. Marcoh answered, a smile flickering on his lips at last. “This is the second time I owe you my life, Fullmetal Alchemist.” His gaze drifted at Ed’s arm and then at Al. “So… you’ve succeeded. You’ve got your bodies back.”
“We did. But we had hoped that you would be able to help us again,” Al said wistfully.
“I see,” the man said in a musing tone. “Am I right in guessing that it has to do with Sergeant Beregond?”
Ed nodded.
“What happened?”
The boys exchanged a look, and then they started explaining everything. As always, Ed was the one who did most of the talking, while Al nodded in affirmation every now and then. Dr. Marcoh, on the other hand, listened on with a grave expression on his face, the news of Beregond’s condition clearly saddening him.
“That’s why you came here then,” he noted once the boys’ tale was over. “You hoped I’d be able to cure him.”
“Yeah,” Ed answered. “But I guess Envy beat us to it.”
“Dr. Marcoh? Is what Envy said true? Did he really destroy all the red stones?” Al asked, clearly hoping that the good doctor would say no.
Dr. Marcoh heaved a sigh, however. “I’m sorry, Alphonse.”
Al closed his eyes and bowed his head; but Ed landed a fist on the table.
“Damn it! We’re back to square one!” he cried. “Looks like Envy got his wish after all!”
“Brother, please, don’t think like that…” Al started.
“Why shouldn’t I?” Ed said. “That was our last hope, Al; and now it’s gone! Beregond’s gonna stay a vegetable and it’s all our fault!”
“Edward, stop it!”
Ed wouldn’t listen. He just stormed out of the house and ran out to the bright world outside, a violent contrast to the darkness that settled in the young man’s heart. He kicked a stone that was on his path viciously, ignoring the pain on his foot at the impact, and then leaned against a rail, his hands gripping tightly the iron beams as he tried to calm himself.
Why? Why can’t it ever end? he asked himself desperately, even though he knew that he wouldn’t get an answer. He never did before, and today wasn’t going to be an exception.
“Are you feeling better now?”
Ed turned around slowly, regarding Dr. Marcoh quite tiredly. “No.”
Dr. Marcoh shook his head. “Ed, you can’t blame yourself for what happened to Sergeant Beregond. It was mere fate, bad luck.”
“It wasn’t,” Ed said bitterly. “Beregond gave up his own life on purpose so that Al and I could get our bodies back. He knew exactly what he was doing.”
“Did he now?” Dr. Marcoh said.
Something in that tone seemed off to Ed, and he looked back at the man.
“If he knew what he was doing, he knew exactly what he was giving up. It wasn’t his life; he still breathes,” Dr. Marcoh explained.
Ed blinked, catching up with Dr. Marcoh’s train of thought. “It wasn’t his knowledge either. Alphonse and I have it.” He swallowed as the realisation made his throat go dry. “So what did he give up?”
“I don’t know,” Dr. Marcoh said. “But I can tell you this. He had no doubt in his mind that you would make things right again.”
Ed’s eyes widened, the familiar warmth of hope swelled in his heart. “He did. He always did…” He extended his hand to Dr. Marcoh, a smile tugging on his lips once more. “Thank you, Doctor. You’ve been very helpful.”
“I certainly hope so,” Dr. Marcoh replied, smiling. “You’d better hurry back to Central.”
“Aren’t you coming?” Ed asked, tilting his head. “You don’t have to hide anymore.”
“Yes, so I’ve heard,” the man said. “But the people here need me more than Central ever will. This is my home now.”
“I understand,” Ed said, nodding. “Thank you again, Dr. Marcoh.”
With that, the young alchemist turned on his heel and called to Al. With any luck, they would be able to catch the next train to Central. And when they arrived, both boys would be ready to bring Beregond back. Ed would make sure of that.
It was quite late at night when Havoc stepped inside Beregond’s room, and he wasn’t alone. Major Moser was with him, wishing to see the Gondorian. The Gondorian was in the bed (where else could he be, anyway?), and had his eyes closed. He gave no indication that he had heard the two men coming in.
Major Moser regarded the man closely, frowning. “Heh. You’ve already told me about his condition, but it’s hard to believe it,” he said. “The way his eyes move underneath his eyelids, I’d say he’s just dreaming.”
“It really fools you, doesn’t it?” Havoc said, running his hand through his hair. “You know, it’s funny. I can’t help thinking that it’s all some kind of a bad joke, or he’ll just open his eyes and smile as if nothing happened.”
“Yeah, stands to reason,” Moser mused aloud. “It’s strange to see someone who was so full of life to be so perfectly still. It makes you think there’s something wrong with this world.”
Havoc nodded, agreeing whole-heartedly. Just then, he pricked up his ears in surprise, for it was in that moment that the sound of light footsteps reached his ears. Before he had to figure out what was going on, Havoc was shocked to see Ed stepping inside the room with Al following close behind. The lieutenant opened his mouth to speak, yet the teen alchemist was faster.
“Hey, Havoc. Any change?”
“None,” Havoc answered without thinking, and he looked at Ed curiously. “That was quick of you. Where’s Dr. Marcoh?”
“He couldn’t come,” Ed replied. “And it doesn’t matter anyway. Al and I have a plan.”
Havoc wanted to be glad, but something stopped him. “What kind of plan?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Dr. Marcoh made us realise something,” Ed explained. “Beregond didn’t exchange his life for ours; he couldn’t. It doesn’t correspond to the law of equivalent exchange. So he gave up something else.”
“Like what?” Havoc asked, confused.
“It doesn’t matter what. What’s important is that Beregond had enough knowledge to give up something by his own free will instead of having the Gate take it from him by force,” Ed said. “If Al and I can pull that off, there’s a chance we can bring Beregond back without giving up much. All we have to do is…”
“No.”
Ed stared at Havoc, dumbfounded at the man’s reaction. “What do you mean ‘No’?”
“I mean exactly that,” Havoc replied, feeling very angry. “Beregond is like this because he wanted you to get your bodies back. Now you just want to ruin everything by going back to the Gate?”
“You don’t get it!” Ed said defensively. “On our way back here we read this book Scieszka gave us. We couldn’t understand it at first, but now we know that they’re instructions. Instructions that will help us control the Gate.”
“No, it’s you who doesn’t get it!” Havoc answered. “A sacrifice is still a sacrifice, no matter how small it is. You, of all people, should know that! That’s precisely what Beregond didn’t want you to do for his sake!”
“Lieutenant Havoc, please,” Al said then, keeping his tone as calm as possible. “We know that we’re basically repeating our mistake. But if getting our bodies back means having someone else suffer in our place, then we’d rather go back to the way we were.”
Havoc opened his mouth to object, yet no sound came out. He simply remained glaring at the boys for many long moments, until he finally shook his head.
“Um… Pardon me, everyone,” Moser said, raising his hand. “You could use the red stones to avoid sacrificing anything vital. I hope you realise that.”
Ed stared at the other alchemist as if he had just noticed his presence. “Actually, we do,” he replied with a scowl. “But there are no more red stones.”
“Heh… Hardly, Fullmetal,” Major Moser said, and he dug out of his coat the pocket watch that served as a State Alchemist’s identification tag. “You obviously forgot this.”
“Sir,” Al said, quite perplexed. “We know that the pocket watches have alchemical enhancers, but--”
Major Moser didn’t let him continue; he just hit his pocket watch on the table nearby, breaking it open. The boys and Havoc watched the violent action in shock, only to gasp at the sight of a couple of stones slipping of the cracked lid.
Ed’s gaze drifted from the stones to the man, his eyes wide. “H-How did you know about that?!”
Moser smiled. “I’m the Rock Alchemist, remember? When I heard that the military did modifications on the watches without asking for my advice, I knew I had to look further into the matter.”
“So… all the State Alchemists’ watches have red stones in them?” Havoc said, aghast.
“Logically,” Moser said. “They had asked for all the watches before we headed for Liore.”
“Then there’s no time to lose,” Ed said. “Al, go to the Colonel and ask him for his watch; tell him what this is about. Havoc, you go and find Major Armstrong.”
“Gotcha, Chief,” Havoc answered, saluting. He headed to the exit, but stopped midway as another thought crossed his mind. “Ed… will they be enough?”
Ed looked at the sleeping form of Beregond. The Gondorian was too far gone in his strange slumber to notice the commotion in his room.
“They have to be.”
To Ed’s relief and gratitude, the Colonel and Major Armstrong were willing to give up their watches for Beregond’s sake. So, it didn’t take long for Ed and Al to get their hands on about a dozen red stones that sparkled brightly under the light, waiting to be used. Now it was only a matter to go through with their plan and hope that everything would actually work out on their favour.
The boys exchanged a glance, and then Al closed the door quietly. What they were about to do didn’t require an audience, and their friends had already wished them good luck. Meanwhile, Ed placed the stones on the Gondorian’s chest, making sure that they formed a transmutation circle, and then gripped one of Beregond’s hands tightly.
“Ready, Al?”
Al walked up to Beregond’s side and clasped the man’s other hand. “As ready as I can ever be, Brother.”
Ed nodded his understanding. “Then let’s go for it.”
“Brother?”
Ed looked up, perplexed. “Yeah, Al?”
“If it doesn’t work…”
“It will work, Al,” Ed replied with absolution.
“But if it doesn’t,” Al insisted, “It won’t matter. You got that?”
Ed understood. After their failed human transmutation, the older brother had spent five years of his life wondering if Al blamed him all along. Now, however, Al made it perfectly clear that he didn’t intend on blaming Ed, nor would he ever. They were in this together.
“Okay,” he said. He took a deep breath before looking at his brother. “On the count of three?”
Al nodded his agreement, and waited patiently for Ed to count. As soon as the word ‘three’ flowed out of the older brother’s lips, both boys closed their eyes and concentrated. They saw in their mind’s eye the Gate once more, towering over them, yet they stared at it unafraid. For the words they had read in Scieszka’s copy still rang in their ears.
Take a sword in your hand, then seek the entrance, for narrow is the opening.
The boys waited, knowing that the snake-like hands would come for them. But this time, they would be prepared.
A dragon lies at the entrance, guarding the temple. Lay hold upon him; immolate him; strip him of his skin, and taking his flesh with his bones, separate the limbs.
Ed was the first to react, holding up his hands, which they seemed to glow as alchemic power accumulated in his fingertips. And when Al joined him, the serpent-like limbs came to a stop, subdued.
Then laying the limbs together with the bones at the entrance of the temple make a step of them, mount thereon, and enter, and you will find what you seek – the priest, that bronzen man who can become the silver man; and, if you will, you will soon have the golden man.
The two brothers smiled at each other and walked inside the Gate, ready to master its secrets.
“How long has it been?” Roy asked, regarding Riza curiously. Both of them were sitting in the corridor outside of Beregond’s room, waiting for any kind of news about the transmutation the boys had planned. However, the silence that reigned in those moments had started growing too heavy for the Flame Alchemist.
Riza looked at her watch. “Ten minutes, Sir.” She frowned a bit and regarded the man curiously. “Do transmutations take that long?”
“No,” Roy replied, standing up. He leaned close to the door, pricking up his ears in the hopes of hearing any kind of sound that would assure him that everything was fine, but there was nothing. Steeling himself, Roy turned the knob and dared a peek inside.
There was no light of an alchemical reaction, so he beckoned Riza to follow him. The moment they entered, however, they were shocked to see the boys on their knees, trembling violently.
“Damn it,” Roy exclaimed. He signaled to Riza to go to Al’s side, while he rushed to Ed. “Fullmetal, you okay?”
Ed didn’t answer. He just lifted a trembling hand and pointed upwards, in Beregond’s direction. Not really understanding at first, Roy looked up as well, only to see a pair of familiar green-hazel eyes looking back at him, a flash of recognition reflected through them.
Roy smiled, finally understanding.
To Be Concluded…
“So…” Ed said. “I guess now we know what became of you. You just showed your heels and ran like the coward you are.”
“I’m not planning on dying before I watch you suffer,” Envy replied, his voice resembling a growl. “You may have gotten your bodies, but was it worth the price? Or did you mean to make a vegetable out of your precious dog?”
“How do you know about Beregond?” Al asked, looking at the homunculus.
Envy clicked his tongue in disapproval. “Really, Alphonse, dear brother of mine… I thought you would have known me by now. Just because you don’t see me, it doesn’t mean I’m not behind you, wearing the face of a dear friend and ready to tear your heart out.” He looked at Ed, his grin becoming crueller. “You know the feeling, don’t you?”
“Then why this?” Ed asked angrily. “If we were at your mercy as you claim, why are you willing to drag an innocent man into this?”
“Now that’s a good question,” Envy admitted. “Yet the answer is as simple as they come: you don’t deserve an easy death. And when I heard about the poor Gondorian’s state, I knew I had quite the golden opportunity in my hands.”
“What does Dr. Marcoh have to do with anything?” Al demanded exasperatedly. “He’s of no use to you!”
“He is to you, and that’s enough!” Envy cried. “It will be gratifying to know that you will spend the rest of your lives watching your friend ebb away, his mind lost forever, while tormenting yourselves with the inescapable guilt that you could have saved him but didn’t.”
Ed tensed as a terrible suspicion crawled in the back of his mind. “What have you done?”
Envy’s grin didn’t waver for a second as he nodded to his left. Ed and Al looked in the same direction, horrified to see that all the vials that at one time or other contained Red Water were destroyed, shattered on the floor.
“NO!” Al exclaimed.
“Where is it?” Ed demanded, glaring at the homunculus. “What have you done with the water?”
“Technically, it wasn’t water anymore. And I was hungry…” Envy replied, licking his lips purposefully.
“You bastard…” Ed murmured, barely keeping his temper in check.
“No more than you,” Envy said. “And now for the final act. Say your goodbyes to Dr. Marcoh.”
Both boys gasped, knowing what that meant. They lunged forward, hoping to stop Envy before it was too late; but it wasn’t meant to be. Blood spilt everywhere as the homunculus slashed the doctor’s throat and then shoved him away like an unclean thing.
“Al!” Ed cried.
“On it!” Al cried back, rushing at Dr. Marcoh’s spasming form.
If Envy meant to stop Al, he never had the chance. Ed had placed a well-aimed kick on the homunculus’s jaw, only to punch him on the stomach in the next moment.
Envy sprang back, barely fazed. “Heh… I didn’t even feel a thing. Makes you wish you had your automail back, doesn’t it?”
“Then let’s try again!” Ed declared, clapping his hands. A spear sprang from the floor amid the crackling sound and lights of alchemical reaction, and the young alchemist grabbed it with one hand.
“Time to die,” he declared, setting himself in attack position, and then charged for the kill.
Meanwhile, Al had troubles of his own. He had placed a piece of cloth on Dr. Marcoh’s throat in the hopes of somehow stopping the bleeding, but now it looked like an impossible task. Dr. Marcoh was losing too much blood and too fast. He was dying and there was nothing Al could do.
“Doctor, please… I don’t know how to help you…” he whispered tearfully as he watched the life fading from the man’s eyes. “How can I close the wound?”
Dr. Marcoh didn’t say anything, nor did he attempt to. He simply patted the boy’s hand, looking at the dove-grey eyes with a look of sympathy.
“No! Doctor, please! You’ve got to stay alive! Beregond needs you!” Al shouted, and he pressed the cloth further. “Don’t give up now!”
What happened next took the young boy by utter shock.
Ed attacked again, but Envy sidestepped with the grace of a feline before the spear would harm him. Seething, Ed lunged forward, sliding part of the way to knock the homunculus off his feet. Envy was still faster, though; he just grabbed the spear and yanked it away from the young alchemist’s hands, a broad grin on his features.
“You know… you really ought to learn from your mistakes, Ed,” Envy declared, snapping the spear in two. “Every time that you try to fight me, you either end up hurt or killed.”
Ed tried to get on his feet, but Envy managed a kick on his jaw that threw him back on the floor.
“I can do this forever,” Envy taunted, and he grabbed both Ed’s arms, preventing the alchemist from clapping. “That’s more than I can say about you! What makes you think that you can defeat me now, when I’m as strong as ever?”
Ed struggled to get himself free, but it was in vain. Envy was just too heavy, and his grip too tight.
“You should simply accept your fate,” Envy suggested. “It will be easier for both of us.”
Never! Ed’s thoughts reached to a scream as he desperately fought on against the homunculus. He had to get his hands free, he had to win; he didn’t want Beregond’s sacrifice to be in vain. He had to keep fighting, no matter what!
His hands moved, just a bit, but it was enough. In the next instant, his overcoat was alchemised intro strong bonds around Envy’s hands and feet. The homunculus was so stunned that he didn’t have time to react as he lost his balance, giving Ed his chance to get up. He stared at his hands incredulously, then back at Envy… and everything fell into place.
“How is that possible?” Envy asked, doing his best to break the makeshift ropes. “You couldn’t clap!”
“Someone I know once told me, ‘Think your enemy has a weakness and it becomes his strength,” Ed answered, eyes narrowing dangerously. “You just made that mistake, Envy.”
Envy snarled and broke his bonds, but Ed was ready for him. He waved his hands once and a great spike emerged from the wall, piercing the homunculus’s stomach through and through. Blood burst out of Envy’s mouth, but he didn’t give up. He broke the spike in two with a single punch and took out the remaining piece from his body.
“Interesting tactics, Ed, but futile,” he said, licking the blood from his lips. “I’ll always keep coming back for you!”
“The hell you are,” Ed said, waving his hand again, a deadly glare in his eyes.
Envy grinned, his wounds already closing. But then, all mirth left him as he doubled over in pain and writhed on the floor helplessly. Scream after scream left his lips, and his violet eyes widened tenfold.
“What is… happening… to me?” he managed to utter amid his screams.
“Red water poisoning,” Ed answered coldly. “I pierced your stomach open and then I liquefied the stones in it so that they entered your system unprocessed and raw. Even your body can’t metabolise the red stones in that state, so your organs are getting deconstructed from the inside.” The teen alchemist stepped closer, his amber-coloured gaze locked on Envy’s writhing form. “Congratulations, Envy. You’re dying.”
“You little…!”
Envy never managed to finish his sentence, for another series of screams tore off his chest. Even those, however, started growing hoarser by the minute, and tears sprang in the homunculus’s eyes.
“So that’s it?” he croaked, glaring at the boy. “You’re just gonna stand there and watch me die?”
“For someone who enjoyed inflicting pain to others, you sure can’t take any pain yourself,” Ed all but snarled. “All these lives you’ve toyed with, all these people you’ve killed… Tell me one good reason why I should show you any mercy.”
“Who’s asking you to?” Envy said. “You are the bastard’s son! I didn’t expect anything less than this from you!”
Ed smirked. “Yeah, I guess I am.” But then the rage in his heart calmed and his features softened upon his brow. “But you were once his son, too, and I don’t think he’d want this.”
With that, Ed waved his hand once more and put an end to Envy’s agony; the spike he alchemised ran through the homunculus’s chest in a heartbeat. Envy spasmed just once, and then his eyes emptied of all life and he breathed no more. The last of the homunculi was gone at last.
Ed wanted to rejoice, he really did. But he just remained on the same spot as if rooted there, numbness almost overwhelming him. That is, until he remembered himself and willed his limbs to move once more so that he would find Al. He didn’t dare think what awaited him in the next room, but he also had to know if everything had truly been in vain.
“Al?” he said, stepping slowly in the room.
He found him kneeling by Dr. Marcoh, his hands covered in blood. However, Ed didn’t expect to see Dr. Marcoh sitting up weakly, checking himself and no slash in his throat.
Ed felt his eyes widening. “Al?!”
Al finally faced his brother, an almost identical look of shock on his features.
“I… I don’t know how it happened,” he stammered. “It was almost as if… I willed the wound closed. I didn’t even clap!”
“I believe you,” Ed said quietly. “I don’t have to clap anymore either.”
Al looked as though his jaw would drop on the floor. “We’re like Beregond now.”
“Yeah.” Ed knelt beside Al and scrutinised the dazed man. “How are you, Dr. Marcoh?”
“Weak,” he answered. His voice came out hoarse and he was still trying to catch his breath. “The homunculus?”
“Gone,” Ed replied and left it at that. “Can you stand?”
“I’ll try,” Dr. Marcoh said, and he pushed himself back on his feet. In the next moment, though, he sagged against the boys, the effort proving too much.
“Whoa!” Ed exclaimed. He quickly offered his body for support and he helped Dr. Marcoh back on the chair.
“I’ll bring some water,” Al said, hurrying to the kitchen. Moments later, he appeared again with a glass in his hand, and he handed the man the precious liquid.
Nodding his thanks, Dr. Marcoh took a few sips and then placed the glass on the table.
“You feeling better now, Doctor?” Ed asked, still keeping his eyes on Marcoh. Though he couldn’t see any evident injuries, Ed was still quite concerned.
“Yes,” Dr. Marcoh answered, a smile flickering on his lips at last. “This is the second time I owe you my life, Fullmetal Alchemist.” His gaze drifted at Ed’s arm and then at Al. “So… you’ve succeeded. You’ve got your bodies back.”
“We did. But we had hoped that you would be able to help us again,” Al said wistfully.
“I see,” the man said in a musing tone. “Am I right in guessing that it has to do with Sergeant Beregond?”
Ed nodded.
“What happened?”
The boys exchanged a look, and then they started explaining everything. As always, Ed was the one who did most of the talking, while Al nodded in affirmation every now and then. Dr. Marcoh, on the other hand, listened on with a grave expression on his face, the news of Beregond’s condition clearly saddening him.
“That’s why you came here then,” he noted once the boys’ tale was over. “You hoped I’d be able to cure him.”
“Yeah,” Ed answered. “But I guess Envy beat us to it.”
“Dr. Marcoh? Is what Envy said true? Did he really destroy all the red stones?” Al asked, clearly hoping that the good doctor would say no.
Dr. Marcoh heaved a sigh, however. “I’m sorry, Alphonse.”
Al closed his eyes and bowed his head; but Ed landed a fist on the table.
“Damn it! We’re back to square one!” he cried. “Looks like Envy got his wish after all!”
“Brother, please, don’t think like that…” Al started.
“Why shouldn’t I?” Ed said. “That was our last hope, Al; and now it’s gone! Beregond’s gonna stay a vegetable and it’s all our fault!”
“Edward, stop it!”
Ed wouldn’t listen. He just stormed out of the house and ran out to the bright world outside, a violent contrast to the darkness that settled in the young man’s heart. He kicked a stone that was on his path viciously, ignoring the pain on his foot at the impact, and then leaned against a rail, his hands gripping tightly the iron beams as he tried to calm himself.
Why? Why can’t it ever end? he asked himself desperately, even though he knew that he wouldn’t get an answer. He never did before, and today wasn’t going to be an exception.
“Are you feeling better now?”
Ed turned around slowly, regarding Dr. Marcoh quite tiredly. “No.”
Dr. Marcoh shook his head. “Ed, you can’t blame yourself for what happened to Sergeant Beregond. It was mere fate, bad luck.”
“It wasn’t,” Ed said bitterly. “Beregond gave up his own life on purpose so that Al and I could get our bodies back. He knew exactly what he was doing.”
“Did he now?” Dr. Marcoh said.
Something in that tone seemed off to Ed, and he looked back at the man.
“If he knew what he was doing, he knew exactly what he was giving up. It wasn’t his life; he still breathes,” Dr. Marcoh explained.
Ed blinked, catching up with Dr. Marcoh’s train of thought. “It wasn’t his knowledge either. Alphonse and I have it.” He swallowed as the realisation made his throat go dry. “So what did he give up?”
“I don’t know,” Dr. Marcoh said. “But I can tell you this. He had no doubt in his mind that you would make things right again.”
Ed’s eyes widened, the familiar warmth of hope swelled in his heart. “He did. He always did…” He extended his hand to Dr. Marcoh, a smile tugging on his lips once more. “Thank you, Doctor. You’ve been very helpful.”
“I certainly hope so,” Dr. Marcoh replied, smiling. “You’d better hurry back to Central.”
“Aren’t you coming?” Ed asked, tilting his head. “You don’t have to hide anymore.”
“Yes, so I’ve heard,” the man said. “But the people here need me more than Central ever will. This is my home now.”
“I understand,” Ed said, nodding. “Thank you again, Dr. Marcoh.”
With that, the young alchemist turned on his heel and called to Al. With any luck, they would be able to catch the next train to Central. And when they arrived, both boys would be ready to bring Beregond back. Ed would make sure of that.
It was quite late at night when Havoc stepped inside Beregond’s room, and he wasn’t alone. Major Moser was with him, wishing to see the Gondorian. The Gondorian was in the bed (where else could he be, anyway?), and had his eyes closed. He gave no indication that he had heard the two men coming in.
Major Moser regarded the man closely, frowning. “Heh. You’ve already told me about his condition, but it’s hard to believe it,” he said. “The way his eyes move underneath his eyelids, I’d say he’s just dreaming.”
“It really fools you, doesn’t it?” Havoc said, running his hand through his hair. “You know, it’s funny. I can’t help thinking that it’s all some kind of a bad joke, or he’ll just open his eyes and smile as if nothing happened.”
“Yeah, stands to reason,” Moser mused aloud. “It’s strange to see someone who was so full of life to be so perfectly still. It makes you think there’s something wrong with this world.”
Havoc nodded, agreeing whole-heartedly. Just then, he pricked up his ears in surprise, for it was in that moment that the sound of light footsteps reached his ears. Before he had to figure out what was going on, Havoc was shocked to see Ed stepping inside the room with Al following close behind. The lieutenant opened his mouth to speak, yet the teen alchemist was faster.
“Hey, Havoc. Any change?”
“None,” Havoc answered without thinking, and he looked at Ed curiously. “That was quick of you. Where’s Dr. Marcoh?”
“He couldn’t come,” Ed replied. “And it doesn’t matter anyway. Al and I have a plan.”
Havoc wanted to be glad, but something stopped him. “What kind of plan?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Dr. Marcoh made us realise something,” Ed explained. “Beregond didn’t exchange his life for ours; he couldn’t. It doesn’t correspond to the law of equivalent exchange. So he gave up something else.”
“Like what?” Havoc asked, confused.
“It doesn’t matter what. What’s important is that Beregond had enough knowledge to give up something by his own free will instead of having the Gate take it from him by force,” Ed said. “If Al and I can pull that off, there’s a chance we can bring Beregond back without giving up much. All we have to do is…”
“No.”
Ed stared at Havoc, dumbfounded at the man’s reaction. “What do you mean ‘No’?”
“I mean exactly that,” Havoc replied, feeling very angry. “Beregond is like this because he wanted you to get your bodies back. Now you just want to ruin everything by going back to the Gate?”
“You don’t get it!” Ed said defensively. “On our way back here we read this book Scieszka gave us. We couldn’t understand it at first, but now we know that they’re instructions. Instructions that will help us control the Gate.”
“No, it’s you who doesn’t get it!” Havoc answered. “A sacrifice is still a sacrifice, no matter how small it is. You, of all people, should know that! That’s precisely what Beregond didn’t want you to do for his sake!”
“Lieutenant Havoc, please,” Al said then, keeping his tone as calm as possible. “We know that we’re basically repeating our mistake. But if getting our bodies back means having someone else suffer in our place, then we’d rather go back to the way we were.”
Havoc opened his mouth to object, yet no sound came out. He simply remained glaring at the boys for many long moments, until he finally shook his head.
“Um… Pardon me, everyone,” Moser said, raising his hand. “You could use the red stones to avoid sacrificing anything vital. I hope you realise that.”
Ed stared at the other alchemist as if he had just noticed his presence. “Actually, we do,” he replied with a scowl. “But there are no more red stones.”
“Heh… Hardly, Fullmetal,” Major Moser said, and he dug out of his coat the pocket watch that served as a State Alchemist’s identification tag. “You obviously forgot this.”
“Sir,” Al said, quite perplexed. “We know that the pocket watches have alchemical enhancers, but--”
Major Moser didn’t let him continue; he just hit his pocket watch on the table nearby, breaking it open. The boys and Havoc watched the violent action in shock, only to gasp at the sight of a couple of stones slipping of the cracked lid.
Ed’s gaze drifted from the stones to the man, his eyes wide. “H-How did you know about that?!”
Moser smiled. “I’m the Rock Alchemist, remember? When I heard that the military did modifications on the watches without asking for my advice, I knew I had to look further into the matter.”
“So… all the State Alchemists’ watches have red stones in them?” Havoc said, aghast.
“Logically,” Moser said. “They had asked for all the watches before we headed for Liore.”
“Then there’s no time to lose,” Ed said. “Al, go to the Colonel and ask him for his watch; tell him what this is about. Havoc, you go and find Major Armstrong.”
“Gotcha, Chief,” Havoc answered, saluting. He headed to the exit, but stopped midway as another thought crossed his mind. “Ed… will they be enough?”
Ed looked at the sleeping form of Beregond. The Gondorian was too far gone in his strange slumber to notice the commotion in his room.
“They have to be.”
To Ed’s relief and gratitude, the Colonel and Major Armstrong were willing to give up their watches for Beregond’s sake. So, it didn’t take long for Ed and Al to get their hands on about a dozen red stones that sparkled brightly under the light, waiting to be used. Now it was only a matter to go through with their plan and hope that everything would actually work out on their favour.
The boys exchanged a glance, and then Al closed the door quietly. What they were about to do didn’t require an audience, and their friends had already wished them good luck. Meanwhile, Ed placed the stones on the Gondorian’s chest, making sure that they formed a transmutation circle, and then gripped one of Beregond’s hands tightly.
“Ready, Al?”
Al walked up to Beregond’s side and clasped the man’s other hand. “As ready as I can ever be, Brother.”
Ed nodded his understanding. “Then let’s go for it.”
“Brother?”
Ed looked up, perplexed. “Yeah, Al?”
“If it doesn’t work…”
“It will work, Al,” Ed replied with absolution.
“But if it doesn’t,” Al insisted, “It won’t matter. You got that?”
Ed understood. After their failed human transmutation, the older brother had spent five years of his life wondering if Al blamed him all along. Now, however, Al made it perfectly clear that he didn’t intend on blaming Ed, nor would he ever. They were in this together.
“Okay,” he said. He took a deep breath before looking at his brother. “On the count of three?”
Al nodded his agreement, and waited patiently for Ed to count. As soon as the word ‘three’ flowed out of the older brother’s lips, both boys closed their eyes and concentrated. They saw in their mind’s eye the Gate once more, towering over them, yet they stared at it unafraid. For the words they had read in Scieszka’s copy still rang in their ears.
Take a sword in your hand, then seek the entrance, for narrow is the opening.
The boys waited, knowing that the snake-like hands would come for them. But this time, they would be prepared.
A dragon lies at the entrance, guarding the temple. Lay hold upon him; immolate him; strip him of his skin, and taking his flesh with his bones, separate the limbs.
Ed was the first to react, holding up his hands, which they seemed to glow as alchemic power accumulated in his fingertips. And when Al joined him, the serpent-like limbs came to a stop, subdued.
Then laying the limbs together with the bones at the entrance of the temple make a step of them, mount thereon, and enter, and you will find what you seek – the priest, that bronzen man who can become the silver man; and, if you will, you will soon have the golden man.
The two brothers smiled at each other and walked inside the Gate, ready to master its secrets.
“How long has it been?” Roy asked, regarding Riza curiously. Both of them were sitting in the corridor outside of Beregond’s room, waiting for any kind of news about the transmutation the boys had planned. However, the silence that reigned in those moments had started growing too heavy for the Flame Alchemist.
Riza looked at her watch. “Ten minutes, Sir.” She frowned a bit and regarded the man curiously. “Do transmutations take that long?”
“No,” Roy replied, standing up. He leaned close to the door, pricking up his ears in the hopes of hearing any kind of sound that would assure him that everything was fine, but there was nothing. Steeling himself, Roy turned the knob and dared a peek inside.
There was no light of an alchemical reaction, so he beckoned Riza to follow him. The moment they entered, however, they were shocked to see the boys on their knees, trembling violently.
“Damn it,” Roy exclaimed. He signaled to Riza to go to Al’s side, while he rushed to Ed. “Fullmetal, you okay?”
Ed didn’t answer. He just lifted a trembling hand and pointed upwards, in Beregond’s direction. Not really understanding at first, Roy looked up as well, only to see a pair of familiar green-hazel eyes looking back at him, a flash of recognition reflected through them.
Roy smiled, finally understanding.
To Be Concluded…
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