427Noble Consort Shirin, the third wife of King Kyros, stood indignantly in front of Royal Alchemist Roshan with her arms crossed.
"What do you mean, no?!" she argued, anger painted all over her overly painted face. "That brat insulted me to my face! He must be punished!"
Roshan sighed.
"For what? For being young and immature?"
"That-!" Shirin gritted her teeth. "What does it matter? He deserves to be put in his place!"
The Royal Alchemist refrained from rolling his eyes at her.
"Then I formally apologize for my assistant's lack of maturity," he replied dryly. "I will do my best to guide him better in the future."
In other words, 'I refuse to get involved in your petty game, and there's nothing you can do about it.'
Roshan wasn't stupid. Shirin was a useful ally, but in the end, Edward was far more valuable to him. The assistant was like the proverbial golden egg-laying goose. A true genius, who already proved his worth with revolutionary scientific achievements in the short time he worked under him.
What could Shirin give that was more valuable than that? Money, allies? Roshan already had plenty of those. Yes, losing her support would be a loss for his faction, but an easily-recoverable one – especially in comparison to Edward Elric.
Roshan vividly remembered what his assistant told him the day they met:
"I know you have more experience than me, but I have dreams of my own – I'm sure you understand, Master Roshan."
Edward was as clever as he was ambitious. Any faction in Xerxes would greet him with open arms, and he knew that perfectly well. And beyond just that – he was far from helpless, even on his own. That spear he transmuted out of the bare ground and the proficiency he wielded it with spoke for themselves.
Because this boy – this wondrous, astonishing prodigy... He was something the world has never seen before.
A combat alchemist.
Everything about him was evidence of him being used to using his skills for fighting. His stature, short yet incredibly muscular for his age, his confident stride, the way he created a weapon in front of Roshan's bodyguards without any hint of fear. And he was barely of age.
Yes, Edward Elric was a force to be reckoned with, and Roshan knew using him was far more important that turning him against his faction. As an alchemist, he was aware that a rare talent like that appeared once per generation at most. It would be a crime to waste it.
Compared to all that? Shirin could throw her weight around all she wanted, Roshan wouldn't budge. Noble Consort or not, she was only a mere woman, in the end.
Shirin must have finally realized her efforts were futile, and her face turned grim.
"You will regret this," she promised with a vicious glint in her eyes.
This time, Roshan actually rolled his eyes at her.
"Oh, no. How dreadful," he said, lifting an eyebrow. "Come now, you really think I believe that you would break our alliance just over one silly grudge?"
"Silly?!"
"What else would you call it?"
"You…!" Shirin huffed in anger, then left Roshan's office, the door closing behind her with force. Shirin's pride was really one of her biggest weaknesses.
Roshan shook his head, thinking how stupid Shirin was.
(Little did he know, in that moment, Shirin thought the exact same thing about him.)
"Come on, stupid! I'm not going to wait for you!"
"Who are you calling stupid, huh?!"
Edward laughed as Van tried to catch up with him.
The lessons seemed to be going well so far. Sure, Van made sure to complain about it every single time, but Edward could tell that in the past two weeks, they made some progress already.
For instance, Ed no longer had to physically drag him by the end to finish their morning run. He didn't think Van himself noticed. Ed didn't mind Van being grumpy, though. Not only was it funny, it showed just how comfortable the other boy grew to be around him. He knew he wouldn't be punished for being sassy.
Van had no idea how lucky he was that Ed wasn't Izumi Curtis. That sass would have put him in his grave.
After their run, Ed explained the next food recipe he wanted Van to try. The only difficulty in this task was that so far, he had to explain everything orally, instead of making a list.
Because Van couldn't read or write. That… that was turning out to be a problem.
Ed never realized before just what kind of obstacle it could be to teach someone without reading skills. In Amestris, reading was a basic mandatory skill all children learned by the age of seven. In Xerxes? The ability to read was a luxury not many people could afford.
There was an exception to this, of course; most people were able to read numbers. Up to three digits, that is. Those were very important in Xerxesian society – slaves in particular had to be able to know them. But words, letters, even basic arithmetic? That was considered 'higher education' here. Unless you were a scholar or a merchant, there was no need for it.
Even though he had been aware of this – it took time for it to actually sink in, and for Ed to truly comprehend the full implications of what it meant for the whole society of Xerxes. The realization hurt his scientific mind on a level he couldn't properly describe.
And to think… back when he was young, he used to think that school was a waste of time.
I was such a fool.
He would make it right one day. Somehow. People having no way to learn – that just wasn't right. Basic education access should never be a luxury reserved for the rich. That was something extremely obvious to Ed, and yet if he voiced it in Xerxes, he knew people would look at him as if he were mad. Especially the privileged, educated class.
In a way, it made him feel… lonely.
But anyway – just like with any obstacle, Ed refused to let it stand in his way. Yes, Van couldn't read, and that made explaining recipes to him a bit difficult. So what? Where's a will, there's a way. Written word wasn't the only way to leave someone a message.
So Edward made a shopping list for Van by drawing pictures.
He knew his drawing skills weren't the best – the ability to draw perfect geometric shapes did not make a person capable of realistically depicting a piece of ham – but one he explained to Van what each picture was meant to represent, it should still serve him well as a reminder.
Ed comforted himself with the thought that he would teach Van proper reading soon. One thing at a time. There was a reason why training the body came first.
Later, he headed towards the Ishvalan temple, to pay Zerang for taking care of Amestris (Ed still felt weird whenever he thought of the name) and spreading rumors about 'slave number Seven' being dead.
About half way there, he noticed a glimpse of a familiar face in one of the alleyways.
It was one of the Ishvalans who were there on the day they went to liberate Amestris from Roshan. The one who claimed to be 'the fastest runner', if Ed remembered correctly.
And if his eyes didn't deceive him… someone was currently threatening him with a knife.
Yeah, how about no.
Without hesitation, Ed ran up to the mugger and before the other could react, slugged him in the back of the head with his automail arm.
Fully expecting the criminal to get up immediately after the blow and throw the knife at him, Ed quickly backed away into a fighting stance.
Instead, the mugger fell unconscious like a log.
Huh. Ed blinked at him in surprise. That was… almost disappointingly easy? He couldn't help but think. The criminals he used to fight back in Amestris were usually much sturdier than that.
Edward and the Ishvalan stared awkwardly at the unconscious man for a moment. Then the Ishvalan broke the silence.
"Is he… dead?"
Ed kicked the mugger lightly. A faint groan was heard.
"Nope."
"Oh."
Ed thought that the Ishvalan sounded almost disappointed.
"We should probably… report it to the guards, right?"
"Yeah, probably." Ed hesitated. "Unless he's… someone important?"
Catching a scamming trader in the act was one thing. This was something else. If the guy had connections, it could potentially cause more problems to brings guards into this. Ed didn't exactly trust the local justice system, considering what he knew about the fall of Xerxes.
Perhaps he was biased. But it was reasonable to be cautious.
The Ishvalan narrowed his eyes, staring at the mugger's face.
"I don't think so – I'm pretty sure I've seen him on a wanted poster somewhere? He has this weird scar on his cheek..."
"Well, that makes things easier! Let's get this over with." If the man was a known criminal, then there shouldn't be any issues with his arrest. Ed picked the guy up and threw him over his shoulder. (At least he was much lighter than Ling, the fatass.) "I'll just dump him at the nearest guard station."
The Ishvalan started at him with wide eyes, for some reason. "A-alright, then? Thank you for your help, Edward."
"No problem, uh... What was your name, again?"
"It's Reinier."
"Ok, Reinier. See you later at the temple."
Reinier stared after Edward long after the boy disappeared from his sight.
The Ishvalan knew he was on the skinnier side, so the mugger must have thought of him as easy prey. Before Ed showed up out of nowhere and rescued him, he was about to risk it all and fight, despite facing someone who was armed. But he never imagined it was possible to knock someone out so fast.
"...Incredible."
His eyes sparkled with excitement. He couldn't wait to tell everyone.
Not about Edward specifically – Reinier wasn't stupid, he knew Edward's connection to their temple was meant to be a secret for the safety of them all, Amestris especially. But telling others about the 'mysterious individual' who took out an armed mugger in an instant…
Yeah. He was definitely going to tell all his friends about it.
Meanwhile, Ed quickly found the guard station, threw the mugger on their doorstep, and went on with his day without knowing the incident was soon about to spread through rumors like wildfire.
He met up with Zerang, accompanied by Bracha. The two seemed to really hit it off. Bracha even referred to Zerang as a 'little brother', and Zerang seemed quietly happy about it. Ed was glad to see the kid doing well.
Bracha told him that Amestris was getting stronger every day. It was good news all around, and the atmosphere at the Ishvalan temple was very cheerful.
Afterwards, Ed headed towards the market to buy some paper, as he was quickly running out. There, he saw yet another familiar face.
"Hello, dear!" The soup vendor greeted him with a kind face. "Ed, was it? Would you like some soup?"
"Maybe next time, thanks." If Van's cooking lesson went went, there would be a hot dinner waiting for him at home.
...Naturally, even if it didn't, Van was still going to have to eat it as punishment. Nothing motivates a student more than the taste of failure, after all. Ed could always go to the market for some delicious soup instead.
"How is your business going, ma'am?" he asked casually.
The woman looked at him with surprise, as if he said something strange. Then she smiled happily.
"Pretty well, actually! Thank you for asking." Then she frowned. "Unfortunately, I can't say the same for my daughter, the poor dear."
"Your daughter?"
"Yes, Caiya, my only child." The vendor sighed. "It cannot be easy, having to run a shop and raise two kids on her own… Her husband is always busy, traveling for business, you see. I try to help her out as much as I can, but my own husband is sick and-" She suddenly stopped and smiled at him apologetically. "Oh, I'm so sorry dear boy. You probably don't want to waste your time listening to some old woman's problems."
Edward, who had fallen silent, shook his head immediately.
"Don't worry, it's fine. I'm sure that can't be easy for... your daughter's family. You said something about her shop not doing well?"
"Yes, and I really can't understand why… Caiya's a florist, she grows such wonderful flowers. I bet they're the most beautiful in the city! But her business has been going slow for some time…"
"Flowers, huh…" Ed rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Actually… I definitely need some flowers today. Could you show me the direction to her flower shop?"
The vendor gasped in delighted surprise. "Of course, dear boy!"
Edward soon headed towards Caiya's flower shop.
"Welcome!" A young woman greeted him, a baby on her back and another child playing in the corner of the shop with a straw horse. Despite looking quite tired, the florist seemed very cheerful and kind, just like her mother. "How can I help you?"
Ed looked around the shop for a minute, all the cut and potted flowers filling the shelves. Then he glanced at the older child. He reminded him a lot of himself, when he was young.
A mother with two young kids and an absent husband… This whole situation seemed uncomfortably familiar, actually.
Ed felt his fists clenching.
"You know what?" He said with a forced grin. "I'll take all the cut flowers you have."
For a moment, the florist froze in disbelief. "...Excuse me? Could you repeat that?"
"All the cut flowers you have, please. Since I don't think I can carry the pots..." Although, considering the size of the shop... even without flowerpots, carrying so many flowers would be impossible either way. "Can I buy your cart as well? I'll pay extra for it."
"Um… O-of course you can!" Caiya stuttered, and started to take down the flowers from their shelves. "If you're sure?"
"Absolutely."
The shining smile he received made Edward sure the impulsive decision was worth it.
With a large cart filled to the brim with flowers, for which he over-paid generously much to the florist's protests, Edward headed for his last destination of the day before going home.
The cemetery.
The purchase of a cemetery plot was just as expensive as he expected, but he came prepared. There was a reason why he transmuted a significant amount of gold for today. Once he showed off the official seal of the Royal Alchemist, proving his status as a VIP, the cemetery owners had no reservations in selling him a plot of his own. The most awkward part of the whole thing, however, was explaining how he was going to use it… as there definitely wasn't going to be a burial happening.
"...A memorial?"
"Yes, sir."
"Do you need a sculptor? We can offer the services of several very talented-"
"No, thanks. I'm going to make it myself."
The owners of the cemetery stared at him in astonishment. That probably wasn't something they saw everyday… or ever.
Knowing he was being watched, but not really caring, Ed quickly drew an array in the ground and activated it.
Within moments, there stood a tall statue in the familiar shape of an armor, six feet tall including the pedestal, on which was written in Amestrian:
Alphonse Elric
The greatest soul in existence
Edward surrounded the statue with all the flowers he had. Then he pulled out something from his pocket.
His pocket watch.
Edward opened it, and started at the engraved script under the lid.
Don't Forget
3. Oct. 11
Remember
27. Jul. 00
Today was July 27th.
...Al's birthday.
In front of the Gate of Truth, Alphonse Elric was kneeling, tears streaming down his face.
"Brother..."
He had missed the ability to cry. In a way, he was grateful he was able to express the emotions he was feeling right now, his aching heart unable to contain them. However…
If giving up tears meant he would be able to stand next to his brother right now, he would have given them up without hesitation.
Ed stood in front of Al's memorial for a long while. He considered saying something, however… the words were stuck in his throat.
What could he possibly say to Al?
'I'm sorry'?
'I miss you'?
'I wish you were here'?
None of those words were enough to express the extent of what he was feeling. In the end, Ed lowered his head in repentance instead of saying anything.
Then, he heard footsteps behind him. A person walked up next to him.
Ed glanced to the side, and was surprised to recognize her.
"…Mu Laohu?"
There she was, mask on, in public without a care. Then again, the graveyard was currently empty, beside the two of them. Perhaps that was the reason.
"Hello, Edward." She greeted him solemnly, unlike the last time they spoke. Then she turned to the statue. "I'm sorry for your loss."
She might not know who this was, since she wasn't able to read the inscription on the pedestal; whatever language it was, it couldn't be Xerxesian. But the care that was put into the statue spoke for itself. This person, whoever it was, was someone Edward Elric had cared for deeply.
"...What are you doing here?"
The implication the question carried was obvious.
"Don't worry, I wasn't following you," she told him. "Cat Ears network told me you returned to the cemetery today, so I decided to come and cover up your trail."
"I'm sorry, what?"
"Edward," the Xingese woman sighed, watching him through the mask. "You haven't thought this through at all, have you?"
Ed frowned, confused what she meant by that.
"This is the place where you interfered in an assassination attempt," Mu Lao explained to him. "You might not have been recognized by anyone back then, and the person you saved kept quiet about it… but surely people would be able to make the connection now, if they dug for information. How many alchemists with bandaged right arm and left leg do you think come here? If Roshan connects Mister Miracle Worker to you, you're going to be in huge trouble, you realize that?"
Edward blinked. Then groaned, rubbing his face. "Dammit… I haven't even considered that. Wait," he looked at her with surprise. "You came here to… help me cover it up?"
"It's already done. Don't worry about it."
Well that didn't sound sketchy at all… Ed decided not to ask.
"...Thanks, I guess?"
"You're welcome."
"Why did you help me, anyway?" He turned suspicious. "What's in it for you?"
"Honestly? Lots of reasons. But most importantly…" Unexpectedly, Mu Laohu lifted her mask, revealing surprisingly delicate features. In daylight, she really did resemble Lan Fan a lot... She could easily pass for her cousin. "I consider myself... something of an endangered wildlife protector." She looked directly at Ed as she said it.
"...What's that supposed to mean?"
She just shrugged at him, smiling mysteriously, and put her mask back on.
That was weird. Were all Xingese spies so weird? It sounded like she was comparing him to some wild animal, but at the same, it didn't feel like she was trying to offend him… What was her deal?
In the end, Ed decided he didn't care. Not today, at least.
"Whatever."
They stayed quiet for a bit.
"...Would you like to tell me about him?" Mu Laohu asked, looking at the statue of Alphonse.
Ed's first reaction was to be suspicious. Was she digging for information? She was a spy, after all, it was her job. Then he realized… it really didn't matter, did it? There was no dirt on him to find – he had no past in this time period to uncover. Unless you counted secretly saving a sort-of-Crown-Prince in a graveyard, and she and her spy buddies already knew all about that.
Not to mention… wasn't one of the things he regretted most about changing the course of history the fact that no one else knew about Al?
Mu Laohu was still virtually a stranger to him. However – she seemed sincere in her inquiry. Less like a spy playing fake sympathy to get information, and more like someone showing respect in front of a grave.
After some deliberation, Ed spoke.
"Alphonse, he…" He placed his automail hand on the armor replica. "He was… my brother. My younger brother." He cleared his throat. "He was the best."
It's my fault he's gone.
"He was kind."
Much kinder than I ever was.
"He would have liked your mask. He liked cats a lot."
I never let him bring any of them with us.
"Today is his birthday."
...He would have turned fifteen if I haven't killed him.
Mu Laohu nodded, then bowed in front of the memorial.
"The world witnessed a terrible loss," she said. She straightened up and told Edward: "My deepest condolences."
Either she was an incredible actress, or she actually meant it.
"Thanks."
"I know this isn't the best time, but…" She turned away for a second. "...do you remember our last conversation?"
"...Yeah, why?"
"Well. I was able to schedule an appointment for you."
"Wait, you mean – with Eiliar?"
"Yes. Under the condition that you will meet him at a secondary location of his choice."
"...On a scale of one to ten, how likely is that going to end with an attempt to kill or blackmail me?"
Mu Laohu laughed.
"With the not-prince? Somewhere around zero."
"Really?" That kind of answer was the most suspicious of them all. Just because he saved the guy's life once, didn't mean he wouldn't try to pull some crap to make Edward work for him, or keep him under control. Eiliar was still a politician – from Ed's experience, that practically required him to be shady.
"Yes, trust me. He's the last person to pull something like that. He's so stupidly noble, it hurts sometimes," Mu Laohu said with amusement.
"Wait a second… you sound like you know him pretty well?"
The spy laughed again. "I've known him for years, yes."
"...You scammer! I paid you to gather information about him!"
The sheer audacity-!
"Too late! No refunds from Cat Ears!"
Ed was seriously tempted to punch her. Forget what he thought about her prices being reasonable! This thief – the price he paid for her services wasn't cheap!
...But they were still standing in front of Al's memorial, and Al… he never liked when Ed gave into his temper. So Edward took a deep breath, and said: "...Alright, whatever. Now, details."
After discussing some more things with Mu Laohu, the two parted ways.
Specifically, Mu Laohu disappeared into some dark corner when he wasn't looking, because she was a Xingese spy and being dramatic like that was apparently part of the job description. The only reason she didn't pop out of nowhere before was probably the fact that Ed was paying respects on a cemetery, and not giving him a jump-scare was her way of showing sympathy.
As annoying as she was… Ed had to admit that he kind of liked her. But that could be partly because of how much she reminded him of Lan Fan – without a maniacal loyalty to a prince, that is.
...Unless Eiliar counted? But it didn't seem like she served him, more like Cat Ears had some sort of partnership with him and Rayan. Not to mention Mu Laohu actually agreed to hear Ed out about his plans regarding the 'not-prince'. If it was Lan Fan, and it was about Ling, she'd sooner stab Edward than agree to his scheme.
But in the end, the key to Mu Laohu's cooperation was simple: bribery. Where it came to money, the woman really was shameless. Unless it went directly against her personal spy code (whatever that was), she was agreeable to basically anything as long as you paid her enough.
Ed had to be very careful about her in the future. If she ever discovered he had basically infinitely deep pockets… the economy was doomed.
In the evening, Ed and Van ate dinner together.
First meal prepared by Van that was completely unsupervised by Edward.
"It's… pretty good, actually. Well done, Van."
Van tried not to show it, but Ed could tell the praise made him very happy. He puffed out his chest like a proud baby chick.
"Of course it is! I'm very smart!"
"...I wouldn't go that far."
"Hey!"
"Anyway, the day after tomorrow, we're moving onto alphabet. You have to learn to read before we can get to alchemy." He needed to prepare some teaching tools, first. He could probably find something helpful in the royal library as well – making books from scratch could be a pain.
Van jerked in surprise, nearly dropping his spoon. "...Really?"
Ed shrugged casually. "Sure, why not."
"YES!" Van cheered with a wide grin.
After sending the kid off to bed, Ed organized some notes, wrote some entries, and laid down.
He stared at the ceiling, contemplating.
Today… he had no flashbacks.
It wasn't that he suffered from hallucinations or anything extreme like that. It's just that, ever since he arrived in this time period… he kept remembering everything that had happened to him, with uncomfortable clarity. Especially whenever he recalled people from his past.
But today – he thought about past a lot. Especially Al.
And yet… no flashbacks.
Was he finally getting used to it? Would he be able to sleep without nightmares for once?
Slowly, his eyes closed.
"You saw it? My body's still in there?!"
"It is… I tried to reach out for it, but it said that it couldn't go with me, since I wasn't his soul..."
"My body… it still exists-!"
Torrent of memories flying by, just like in the Gate…
"Survival is the only way, Ed-!"
"...list of things I want to eat once I get my body back..."
"Because I can't- I can't handle all the nights by myself…!"
The feeling of drowning...
"Stand up and walk, keep moving forward…"
"Geez Brother, you're so impatient!"
"Watch out, Brother!"
The image of Alphonse reaching out to protect Hohenheim...
"Dad!"
"Hohenheim!"
"Alphonse, watch out!"
Alphonse's terrified scream as Scar reaches out to him...
"BROTHER!"
Ed woke up with a sharp gasp.
It was still dark. The sun hadn't risen yet. It was summer, so it must have been still early in the morning.
With a shaking hand, Edward took out his pocket watch.
It was about 2:30.
He slept barely for two hours. Again.
Edward covered his eyes and groaned.
He was so tired. But he knew from experience that trying to go back to sleep was pointless. Slowly, he tumbled out of bed and headed to the basement.
Guess he would make some more entries before the sunrise.
From beyond the Gate, Al watched his brother write, dark shadows under his eyes, and despaired.
It was a disaster. He had tried so hard to focus Ed's dream on the memory that would provide his brother with clues… but once again, it all slipped from his control within moments.
Am I doing this wrong?
Was he not trying hard enough? Was it only the matter of practice? Or were dreams really just – uncontrollable?
Am I only making things worse?
Watching his brother suffer because of him was unacceptable to Alphonse. He was still here! He was alive! Brother shouldn't be mourning him like this, blaming himself for his death, when there was still hope!
But.
Wouldn't it be better for him? To move on?
Seeing Ed stand in front of his memorial – it made him think. Would Ed suffer less if he accepted it? Al's… loss?
Wasn't the hope of seeing mom's smile again what screwed them both over in the past? The hope of defying death? Al wasn't dead, but Edward didn't know that. If he could mourn him properly and heal… wouldn't that be better for him, in the end?
Should Al just – give it up?
He covered his face with his hands. Would it really be better if…?
...
...No.
Alphonse put his hands down and took a deep breath.
He knew that if the situation was reversed, and Ed was the one trapped in the Gate, Al would have never forgiven him if he gave up now.
Yes, as long as he was here, he could keep his unaware Brother safe. But regardless of his moral dilemma, this situation… long-term, was unsustainable.
If Al gave up and stayed here, sooner or later, both he and Ed were going to die a terrible death. He could not let that happen.
Alphonse cycled chi through his body, as much as he could at once, and promised himself to keep trying.
I'm sorry, Brother… I swear I will make it up to you, once we see each other again.
He flexed his fingers, watching the progress of his body's recovery. Little by little. One step at a time.
Just hold on a bit longer...
That night, there was a service at the temple of Ishvala.
Priest Aviel lifted his hands to the sky, and prayed:
"Oh Merciful Ishvala, please guide the souls of the lost ones onto the path of salvation…"
Elsewhere, much farther away, a teenage boy traveled through the desert to the East, wind blasting against his face.
"Please, whatever gods can hear me…" He prayed to the stars. "Please help me find my sister."
Ed felt like he was about to lose it.
The Homunculus kept being so annoying.
"...Oh, come on. Just give me a hint!"
"I already said no."
"Just one hint, Fullmetal Alchemist! I'm not asking for much, am I?"
"No, Theo."
"Why are you so stubborn-?"
"Are you deaf?! No means NO!"
The Dwarf in the Flask kept asking after Van's name.
"I don't see what the big deal is. I know you're protective over him. But how could I possibly use his name to hurt him?"
"...The fact that you're even considering it is reason enough not to, don't you think?"
"Don't twist my words, Edward Elric. You know very well why I wish to meet him. What's so wrong about wanting to know your own family?"
Here lied the core of Ed's issue with the Homunculus, really. Because it was perfectly reasonable. If Ed didn't know the future, he would have believed him. But…
"When you notice an insect on the ground, you do stop to consider it a fool...?"
If the Dwarf in the Flask really considered humans so far beneath him, would he ever care about Van Hohenheim? Was that level of apathy developed over time because of garbage people like Roshan, or was it a trait the Homunculus was born with?
Ed couldn't tell. And that scared him.
He couldn't trust the Homunculus, no matter what.
However – treating someone decently did not require trust. Edward knew that no one from this time ever treated the artificial creature as an equal, so it was the least he could do. The fact that Ed spoke to him casually probably made him believe they were… friends, or something?
Friends with the Homunculus. It was so weird.
"If you kept asking, I'm going to murder you," Ed reminded him, flipping a page without taking his eyes off of it.
"You would never."
"I wonder… You know what 'defenestration' means?"
"The act of throwing someone out of the window, yes."
"Well that's what going to happen to you, if you won't shut up about it."
"You wouldn't dare."
Fifteen seconds later, Ed was holding the flask above an open window.
"The sun is… quite pleasant today."
The Homunculus was trying to play cool, but Ed could hear a note of nervousness in his voice.
"See how tall this building is?"
"...Quite tall, yes."
"If you keep asking, my fingers miiiight just…" Ed grabbed the flask by one of the two tubes, holding it just between two of his fingers. "Slip."
He shook the flask slightly.
"Okay, okay, I get it! Put me down, now!"
Ed snickered and put the flask back onto its stand.
"...You're a complete brat, aren't you?"
"Want to repeat the experience already? The window's still open."
"No thank you, I'm good."
Ed shook his head, and went back to his papers.
Then he remembered something.
"Oh yeah… I have a question for you, actually."
"Roshan gave you another question list already?"
"No, nothing like that." Ed folded his hands and put his chin on them. "I'm just curious… does the word 'Amestris' mean anything to you?"
"Amestris?" The Homunculus repeated it carefully. "That's a name, I believe… a female name? Meaning 'strong woman', so of course that would be quite strange, for a man to be named as such. It can't possibly be his name, right?"
"No, no, definitely not." Ed waved his hand. He smirked, imagining how offended Van would be if he tried to name him a 'strong woman'. It would have been hilarious. "I just wondered if you ever heard of anyone with that name, that's all."
"No, I haven't. Should I?"
"I… don't know."
"Well, that sounds intriguing. What's on your mind, Edward Elric?"
Ed wondered how he should phrase it, to avoid giving away too much.
"If a person knew someone by that name… You, for example. If you knew someone called Amestris. And later, you decided to name something else after her. What could that mean?"
"Hm…" The Homunculus pondered for a moment. "That would be a sign of sentiment, wouldn't it?"
"Sentiment?"
"I don't imagine there to be many reasons for something like that. It could be a taunt, some kind of mockery, but… 'Strong woman' is not a shameful name."
"No, it isn't," Ed admitted. But… Father, sentimental? Over a random slave, of all people?
What was the connection here, exactly? Did she and the Homunculus meet later, in the previous timeline?
Except, if Ed hadn't come here… Amestris would have been dead already, wouldn't she? Him showing up and changing things had nothing to do with her illness. Roshan overworked her on purpose, and he wouldn't have agreed to release her to the Ishvalans, so then her illness would have finished her off either way.
So the Homunculus did not know Amestris right now, and he couldn't possibly meet and befriend her later. Especially with her being unable to have a conversation with him, and the Homunculus relying on conversation only to connect with others. That didn't add up.
There had to be a connection that happened earlier than that…
...Wait a second. Ed suddenly realized something.
"You know he killed his assistants, right?"
"I know. He used their lives for his experiments, correct?"
"Yes. Alchemy swallowed them. Demon eye. Red light."
Amestris was there… she was there, the moment the Homunculus was born. Just because slave number Seven died in the previous timeline, didn't mean the Homunculus couldn't find out her true name later.
Was that the whole extent of this 'sentiment'? That she witnessed his birth? Just like 'Amestris the Country' was meant to witness his 'second birth', when he became 'god'?
Ed frowned thoughtfully. That could be it, but… He had a hunch that he was still missing something.
He could ask the Homunculus about the mute slave present during his creation, but… he simply did not want to. Amestris was terrified of Roshan and his experiment. She called the Eye of Truth the 'Demon Eye'. No, he wouldn't bring her up – not just yet. The same way he wanted to protect Van from the Homunculus and his attention, he would do his best to protect Amestris. What if the Homunculus wished to meet her, too? She deserved to be free from her past and the human experiments she never wished to have any a part of.
I can find out more without Amestris getting involved. Let's leave her out of it.
(As Ed would find out much later, a lot of things would have cleared up if he only bothered to ask.)
Edward's investigation inevitably brought him back to the Ishvalan temple.
"Priest Aviel, can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"What do Ishvalans think of alchemy? Do you guys have any religious beliefs about it?"
Scar called alchemists 'fools who went against the will of God'. He strongly implied that in the eyes of his people, alchemy was inherently evil, because creation was meant to only belong to Ishvala.
But, Ed started to wonder – was that already the case here, or…?
"Alchemy? I don't think there's any uniform opinion on it… It is a Xerxesian science, after all. None of us practice it."
...I knew it.
How could Ishvalans hate something they didn't know? It would be one thing to be prejudiced if alchemy was wide-spread, but the science was still relatively new, unknown to foreign countries.
It could only mean one thing: Ishvalans only started to hate alchemy after the fall of Xerxes.
That made perfect sense, didn't it? Ishval was the closest country to Xerxes, geographically speaking. They could have witnessed the moment the Xerxes fell from distance across the desert. If they saw the light of the transmutation, someone could have connected it to alchemy eventually.
And once the connection was made… even if they had no evidence of what exactly happened… wouldn't they consider it evil? Obviously, alchemy would immediately get banned by their community.
The law would most likely only get reinforced by already existing religious beliefs. And over time, alchemy would become 'evil', because 'it was against Ishvala'.
"I'm curious about it!"
He was brought out of his musings by someone's loud proclamation.
"...What?" Edward looked towards the speaker.
It was... Reinier?
"I'm curious alchemy," the man repeated, grinning. "Could you tell us more about it?"
"Yes, Edward!" Bracha skipped over, bringing a couple of other children with her, Zerang included. "Tell us, please!"
Ed blinked in disbelief. "You want me to… tell you guys about alchemy?"
"Yes!"
He glanced at Priest Aviel, expecting some sort of protest. Instead, the older man seemed equally keen on the idea as the rest.
Ishvalans, asking a State Alchemist to teach alchemy in their temple. Scar would really have a stroke if he found out.
Then again… for these people, wasn't alchemy something that helped save one of their members? They saw Ed make medicine with it. That was exactly how alkahestry was used in the East, wasn't it? For medical arts?
With that in mind, Ed drew a circle on the ground, transmuted a board for him to draw on – much to the amazement of the crowd – and then had the Ishvalans sit around it in a circle, watching him draw and listening to his explanations on the basics of alchemy.
"One is All, and All is One… does any of you have an idea of what it could mean?"
Several Ishvalan immediately raised their hands.
He was really… turning into a teacher, huh.
(On the other side of the room, Amestris watched the lecture from distance. She did not wish to join, having seen too much terrible alchemy to take any joy from it.
However… seeing the enthusiasm of her Ishvalan brothers and sisters made her smile.)
Giving a casual lecture to a curious crowd was one thing...
"Why do these two sound the same?! You're not making any sense!"
"You're not making sense, they are clearly completely different!"
...Private lessons on spelling, on the other hand? That was surprisingly much, much harder.
"How! Explain it to me!"
"I am explaining it, you're just being a moron!"
"Who's being a moron here, pipsqueak?!"
"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!"
It wasn't that Van wasn't trying. He was actually grasping a lot of things very fast. The problem was how fast he was getting frustrated over not getting something. Then Ed himself was getting frustrated over his frustration, and they both ended up blowing up at each other.
Edward was aware the two of them were acting dumb, kind of like dogs barking at their own reflections, but he couldn't help it. Van was sometimes such a...!
"That's it!" Ed ended up dragging Van outside by the ear. "Sparring session, now!"
"Oh come on!"
...brat! What a disrespectful brat!
Was it a sign of Van getting more independent and breaking out of his slave mindset, an undoubtedly positive and healthy development? Yes.
Was Ed going to tolerate it when he was the teacher? Absolutely freaking NOT! If Van wanted to be treated like a delicate princess, he could find another teacher.
(Little did he know, from beyond the Gate, Alphonse was laughing at them both.)
But despite their… differences…? Ed and Van continued the lessons day by day, and Ed was pleased to see they were making decent progress.
He knew these kinds of things could take years. Just because Edward was a genius who learned to read at the age of three and performed his first transmutation when he was five, didn't mean Van had to be like him.
Honestly speaking, Van wasn't bad. Not for someone with no prior education to speak of.
...He was still a brat, though.
One day visiting the Ishvalan temple, Edward happened to walk right into the middle of an argument.
"...can't tell me this is alright! We should do something! What if we-"
"Enough, Reinier!"
"But-!"
"Did you already forget your how your brother lost his life?!"
Ed froze right over the entrance. He saw Priest Aviel and Reinier facing each other, surrounded by several other Ishvalans.
At the priest's accusation, the younger man clenched his fists in defiance. "Don't bring Eitan into this! He has nothing to do with-!"
"He has everything to do with this! Do you want Xerxesians to brand us as terrorists?! After Eitan's death, they called Ishvalans child-stealers for years! Some still do to this day!"
"But if no one found out-!"
"That's exactly what your brother thought, and look where it got him!"
Ed suddenly noticed Amestris stepping forward, accompanied by Bracha. Immediately, the two men quieted down. Reinier even bowed his head to her.
"Amestris, I..."
Slowly, Amestris started to sign.
"I understand your anger," Bracha spoke, her voice sad. "I understand your intentions. But. Your brother and I, we went against the will of Ishvala. Your brother and my child paid the price for it."
Edward did not know the context of any this. But looking at everyone, it was obvious something very tragic must have occurred in the past. He stayed quiet.
"Please, do not take any risks that may cost you your life." After Bracha translated the words, Amestris took his hand and patted it a couple of times, just like she did in the past to Ed.
Reinier took a deep breath, as if he still wanted to argue. In the end, he released it with a sigh and nodded, looking away in shame.
Some people now started to notice that Ed was present. They seemed awkward, likely embarrassed to realize he witnessed a part of what was probably meant to be a private affair for this community.
Well, it sounded quite serious, so he was unwilling to simply ignore it and let it be.
"...Reinier? What were you guys talking about, if you don't mind me asking?"
Reinier glanced around, then tilted his head to the exit. "Let's talk outside."
They left the building, walking slowly side by side. Reinier seemed to be in his mid-thirties, his white hair shaved on the sides, the middle of it growing longer and tied in a ponytail on the back. It seemed to be a common hairstyle among the Ishvalan men. Today, his hair seemed a little less... put together than usual. Even when he was being mugged.
From what Ed had seen of him, Reinier seemed to be a pretty upbeat guy. For him to have an argument in the middle of the temple like this, it must have been something very important to him.
"So…?"
Once again, Reinier sighed. "Do you worship any gods, Edward?"
...Well that wasn't the topic Ed expected for him to start with.
"To be honest… not really."
After all his experiences with Truth, Edward's relationship with religion was… complicated, to say the least. But, saying he did not worship any god would be the truth.
Then he thought of something off-putting: "You guys won't – kick me out for not worshiping your god, will you?"
"No, of course not!" Reinier quickly reassured him. "While we would be very happy to welcome you into our religion, you're under no obligation to be a part of it, if you don't wish to."
"...That's good to hear." He got to like this community a bit. At this point, it would be… sad, for them to reject him for religious reasons.
"That's not why I asked. Do you know what separates the faith of Ishvala from most of other religions in Xerxes?"
When worded like this, the answer seemed pretty obvious to Ed.
"...Ishvalans are monotheistic, right?" He guessed. "While Xerxesians commonly worship multiple gods at once."
"That's right. They usually don't bother with us, since they don't care much about keeping faith in a single god." Reinier looked at the sky. "They think the more patrons they have, the better for them, or something. Their deities must be pretty weak in their eyes, if just one isn't enough."
Ed merely shrugged – he never put much thought into that, since he was never a religious person to begin with.
"I understand that people who did not grow up worshiping Ishvala can have different values than us." Reinier turned to Ed. "But that doesn't make them bad, we all know this. You're not one of us, yet you still cared when you saw a person in need. Good and evil aren't separated by religion."
"Of course they aren't."
Over the years, Edward had seen different sides of religion, and the different sides science. None of these things made people inherently good or bad; it was always the choices they made.
"However…" The Ishvalan's face suddenly darkened. "There are definitely some religions which are evil."
At that, Ed hesitated. "What makes them evil, exactly?"
Reinier at him grimly. "Human sacrifices."
At that, Edward's jaw dropped. "I'm sorry – what?!"
There were religions in Xerxes with ritual human sacrifices?!
"The temple of Girra," the Ishvalan confirmed. "That's what we call it at least, they call him Gibil among their followers. I'm not even sure if that's something that they all do, but the main temple in this city? They are definitely doing sacrifices there. I have seen it myself."
"And that's legal?!"
"I think they skirt the law with it," Reinier told him, rubbing his forehead tiredly. "I asked about it. Technically, murder for religious reasons is forbidden in this country. However, it becomes a bit complicated where it comes to slavery. Slaves do not count as citizens, and their masters can sentence them to death… with a cause."
"With a cause," Ed repeated in disbelief. As if anyone actually cared if they had cause! Who would defend a slave against a rich owner with a grudge?
In Xerxes? No one!
"I know, it's messed up! It's evil, the people who do this are evil and their temple should be burned to the ground!" The Ishvalan stomped angrily. "But the elders are against it, you heard them. They say that if we try to do anything, our people will get persecuted for it."
That explained why Aviel asked him if he wished for Xerxesians to brand them as terrorists.
"...So that's what you guys were arguing about."
"Yeah."
Ed thought for a moment.
"This temple… where is it?"
The other looked at him with surprise. Then a sneaky, gleeful smile appeared on Reinier's face.
A while later, the two of them stood some distance from a large, decorated building in the middle of a square.
"It looks…" Ed observed the architecture with a critical eye. "...gaudy. They must be pretty rich."
"They are," the Ishvalan admitted glumly.
It was understandable he was upset – the Ishvalan temple was a very modest building in comparison. If they had half the amount of money this temple had, they wouldn't need to spend decades saving funds for Amestris' freedom.
And to think these scumbags used their funds to kill people on a regular basis… despicable.
Ed rubbed his chin. "So. There's a problem."
"Just one?"
"Mostly – when is the next sacrifice going to happen?"
"In…" Reinier counted on his fingers. "...roughly two months and a half. There's a have a celebration scheduled for October 16th."
Reinier really did his research. He must have been dead set on his plan to destroy this temple, before he brought it before his elders and was shot down.
"If we bring this thing down right now, " Ed pointed at the building "They will either rebuild it, or set up a temporary place of worship where the sacrifice will take place. They definitely have the money for it."
"That's true."
"In other words…" Ed grinned. "If we want to prevent it, it has to be either right before on during the celebration."
Reinier narrowed his eyes. "And how are you going to do that?"
Ed whispered into his ear.
"That…" Reinier gaped. "Alchemy can do that?!"
"Only a pretty damn good alchemist can," he confirmed cheekily. In this time period, he was the only one who could, in fact. "But, you see, we don't want just to ruin this ceremony… We want to make sure it doesn't happen again, right?"
"Is that even possible?"
"From my experience…" Ed casually placed his arms behind his head, sending the temple another look. "Xerxesians are pretty… superstitious."
Reinier glowed with happiness. "...You absolute madman! You're brilliant!"
"Why, thank you!"
"And you're sure you won't get caught?"
"Why would I get caught? Most people don't know what alchemy can do. And if we set the stage early enough… It won't even occur to them there could be a single person behind it at all."
Reinier laughed.
After working out the details, the two left the area.
"...and of course, you and the others need to play your part first." Ed finished and reached out his hand towards Reinier.
"Spreading some rumors?" The Ishvalan slapped his palm against his, a huge grin on his face. "You couldn't have given me an easier job, my friend."
"...Have you heard? Apparently Gibil, the god of fire, became very displeased with his followers!"
"How do you know that?"
"Everybody's talking about it!"
"What did they do?"
"No one knows! But they say that the god is going to send a punishment upon their temple."
"What kind of punishment?"
"Who knows?"
"What nonsense!"
"I never thought worshiping Gibil was a good idea anyway… Mithra is much more reasonable."
"Yes, the temple of Mithra is quite beautiful."
"I heard Crown Prince Eiliar worships Mithra as his patron god."
"Eiliar isn't a prince! He's just a noble."
"Not yet! But he will be soon, mark my words!"
"I think Councilman Rayan would be a much better Crown Prince."
"Didn't Councilman Rayan reject the position?"
"...Did he? I haven't heard anything about it."
"Gibil's worshipers are fools, anyway."
"You take that back, my uncle is a worshiper of Gibil!"
"You play with fire, you get burned by it. The sacrifices they do… it's dirty business, I tell you."
"Wait, I thought the sacrifices are all supposed to be volunteers or criminals?"
"Ha! As if anyone believes that."
"They're slaves, boy, they have no say in the matter."
"Do you think Gibil will really send a punishment to the temple?"
"Pure nonsense, I tell you!"
"...I'll tell my uncle not to come to the next celebration, just in case..."
"你好! You've been busy, haven't you, Mister Miracle Worker?"
By this point, Ed was hardly surprised to see Mu Laohu pop out of the darkness. The fact that she must have crawled into his room through the open window proved to him without a doubt that she was actually related to Lan Fan.
"I have no idea what you mean," he responded without lifting his eyes off his book.
"Of course you don't," Mu Laohu sounded very amused. "I don't suppose a 'miracle' is going to be the divine punishment sent upon the temple of Gibil by October?"
"...Who knows? But if it was, it could be a pretty good practice run, don't you think?"
"Practice… run?" The spy repeated, a bit disturbed. "Wait, don't tell me you're going to make a habit of this?!"
"Nah, but I do have a plan," Ed admitted, gesturing for her to sit down. "I thought you might be interested in it – considering how you keep coming back to exploit me for money."
"You call that exploiting?" Mu Laohu laughed, taking a seat. "I'm giving you discounts. You should meet my boss."
"Already have, so no thanks."
"I didn't come here to exploit you, anyway. I came with another warning. You should really be more careful Edward."
"...Careful with what?"
"Being seen. Someone saw you walking around the city with an Ishvalan. The information almost made it to Roshan, before our network subverted it to make them think you were someone else."
Ed frowned. Just walking around with an Ishvalan was dangerous?
"I don't see the problem… I could just make up some excuse about it later." Since Roshan already thought Ed had spent time with the Ishvalans to experiment on former miss Seven, he could simply say he was only pretending to be friends with them – in order to continue his experiments.
"Maybe, but things like that can add up. If Roshan realizes you lied to him, he will lose his trust in you. And he is not the type of man to let go of betrayal." She lowered her voice. "All his previous assistants disappeared without a trace, in case you weren't aware. You don't want to end up on his bad side."
This meant… he would have to limit his visits to the Ishvalan temple, in order to avoid suspicion. At least of the time being. And he would have to make sure not to be seen in public with any of them.
That sucked.
Ed rubbed his head wearily. "Dammit… I hate all this political crap."
"Then why did you get involved with him?" Mu Laohu asked him seriously. "You are a much better alchemist than he is, we both know that. You don't need to be his assistant to climb the ladder, if that's your goal."
"...I have my reasons."
Mu Laohu was silent for a moment. Then she spoke:
"I see. What are you planning, then? What is your 'practice run' for?"
Edward took out some notes, put some clean pages on his desk, and starting marking the steps one by one.
It wasn't a very complicated plan, all things considered. Now that he had access to the rumor mill, and permission to enter the royal library, he could manage most of it by himself. What he had trouble with was the timing, and the final execution.
He had no idea when exactly the events would take place. He estimated it had to happen within the next year – less than half a year, probably. But he had to be there, on time, or else the whole plan would be ruined.
Luckily, Cat Ears network could help him with the timing. As for the execution… He could use Mu Laohu. She was his key to figuring out alkahestry, after all.
"Don't tell me…" Mu Laohu said as she finally understood what he was going for. "All of this, just to scam the entire nobility of Xerxes with a prank?"
"Pretty much."
"You're scary," she told him, but he could tell she was smiling behind the mask. "Did you do this kind of thing before coming here? No, you must have, you're too confident about all this. You're absolutely terrifying, you little gremlin."
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING-!"
"Shhhh!" Mu Laohu quickly covered his mouth. "Do you want everyone in the neighborhood know I'm here? I thought you were meant to be sneaky, 小东西!"
"Mmm-hmmm-mmm!" Edward protested from behind her palm.
Stop calling me little, you stupid cat lady!
"Calm down, it was a compliment!"
Like hell it was!
He was about to bite her, before she finally released him.
"Anyway, I'll come after sunset tomorrow to pick you up and we'll go meet Eiliar. Sounds good?"
"...Fine! Just stop breaking into my room through windows!"
"I've only done it this once…" Mu Laohu muttered sullenly.
Probably knowing through her cat-spy-instincts that he was about to kick her out, Mu Laohu promptly made her exit… through the window, because of course she did.
Did the Xingese not know how to use doors?
The next day after sunset, just like agreed upon, Mu Laohu led Edward through the city. He could roughly tell where they were going, but he definitely had never visited this part of Xerxes before. It was far away from the rich center where Roshan lived, and even further away the poorer district where the Ishvalan temple was located. A sort of middle-class district, judging by the architecture and the way people were dressed.
It made perfect sense to conduct a secret meeting in a location like this. It was busy enough not to draw suspicions, yet not too busy to find a private place to chat. Guards were bribable, poor people even more so; the best way to avoid attention was to be hidden among busy people who did not care to watch out for unusual things.
Ed and Mu Laohu entered an inn, and went upstairs. There were a couple of guards standing outside, and only after Mu Laohu lifted her mask to show her face to them, did they allow them to pass through.
They entered, and here he was, Eiliar in the flesh… with someone sitting by his side? A young woman. She seemed too well dressed to be a servant, so… probably his wife? Ed did not know Eiliar was married- wait, have he seen her before somewhere? She looked kind of familiar...
...Whatever, it didn't matter to him.
"Welcome, Edward Elric!" Eiliar greeted him with a friendly face. "It's good to see you again. And greetings to you as well, Mu Laohu, it's been a while. Thank you for bringing him."
"Hello there, lover boy. Congrats on your engagement," Mu Laohu replied dryly. "You and miss Ava, so shocking. Who could have possibly foreseen such scandalous outcome."
Well, that explained who the woman was.
At Mu Laohu's sarcastic commentary, both Eiliar and the young woman blushed like teenagers for some reason. Seriously?
Ah, they're probably that type of couple. Got it.
"Yeah, yeah, nice to meet you, congratulations to you both." Ed pointed at the door. "Sorry, miss, I have something to discuss with your fiancé in private. No offense, but can you wait outside for a bit? I swear it'll be quick."
Miss Ava looked at him as if he had lost his mind.
"Excuse me? Young man, you're… not serious, are you?"
"Dead serious, sorry."
Eiliar cleared his throat nervously. "You… Assistant Edward, is there really a need for that? You should know, I trust my fiancée completely-"
"Nope, sorry. It has to be discussed one-on-one. Take it or leave it."
The woman looked at Eiliar. "You can't possibly agree to this."
The noble glanced at his fiancée nervously. "Well, he did save my life, so..."
"Eiliar! We don't know his intentions! What if he hurts you!"
"Mu Laohu bringing him means she can vouch for him, right?"
"I don't know, can I?" Mu Laohu said teasingly, looking at Edward as if she was asking him for permission.
"Who knows?" Ed played along, for once happy with Mu Laohu being annoying. "I could be an assassin payed off by Roshan to stab him as soon as his fiancée walks out, right? I definitely couldn't vouch for myself."
Ava looked between the three of them in frustration. "Stop joking, I am being serious here! Eiliar can't be left alone with any stranger right now, it's just too dangerous."
"Ava…" Eiliar took her hand and squeezed it gently for comfort. "It's fine, really. Think about it, there are guards outside. Even if he wanted to do something like that, he couldn't possibly get away."
I wouldn't be so sure about that… Ed thought with a smirk. Ava frowned at him, suspicious.
"Come on, Ava, leave the men to talk their boring business," Mu Laohu said, putting her arm over her shoulder so casually it was obvious they had to be long-time friends, and led her out of the room. "If your lover boy ends up dead, you can bill the boss the funeral costs."
"That- doesn't make it any better! Mu Laohu-!"
The door closed behind them.
Eiliar sighed.
"Well, we're alone now, just like you asked. What can I do for you?"
Ed smiled, with a deliberately sinister look in his eyes. On pure instinct, Eiliar backed away a bit.
"Tell me something, your highness."
Ed crossed his legs, leaned back in his chair, and channeled his best impression of General Raven.
"...Would you be interested in a legion of immortal soldiers?"
Author's Note:
Hello everyone! No, I'm not dead!
Finally, I feel like my plot threads are coming together. Oh I've had notes about all this for years – ever since I posted chapter 2, in fact. I hope it makes you interested in what comes next!
Hopefully I'll be able to make the next update much, much faster than this one. I promise I'm not delaying updates on purpose! I got fired recently, so I thought I could celebrate by finally finishing and posting this chapter. Did I want to get fired? Definitely not, I was pretty down about it. But what can you do? Such is life. Maybe next time I'll have better luck.
Thank you all so much for reading, please leave comments if you liked it, follow the story and add to your favorites if you can, it really helps out, but most importantly – remember to read on and enjoy! :)