Cardinal Sin (1) : Rebirth of the Fullmetal Alchemist

26 - The burden he carries

The sun was glorious. After having been dead well over a week, being outside able to feel the warmth from their star and the breeze brushing his face and bare chest was the best thing Fullmetal could ask for.

Ed flinched.

Even so, the good feeling from being outdoors he received was washed away little by little because of the other thing. The cost of inheriting the power of his philosopher's stone.

The people that had been murdered by the weapons the shifting arsenal changed into and the those who had killed them—all of them were in his head. Those were souls that comprised his philosopher's stone, and all of their tragic stories were suddenly known to Edward, who most certainly did not wish to have such knowledge.

Marie Heartfall (1217 - 1238), a young woman of twenty-one, had been murdered by her own jealous best friend the day before her wedding when her glass of water had been poisoned with brucine. The cup she had drunk from containing the method of her demise had been the very first form Ed had seen the shifting arsenal in. It was the scene of her writhing on the ground til dead that had played in his mind when he revived. How she had suffered in her last moments, unknowing she had been murdered by one she held so dear over a man...

James Scrit (1801 - 1806) had been five years old when he was brutally murdered with use of a dagger when he'd thrown a rock that had accidentally hit a thug who was in a terribly foul mood. The poor child's eyes had been carved out before he was stabbed in the neck, and such was what flashed in Ed's mind when he crouched by his brother, almost losing his composure.

Now, standing outside the morgue, he was seeing William Forelock (1682 - 1735) running away desperately from a soldier with a rifle who had orders to kill him. Ed winced when he saw a bullet catch the late William in the head.

"It's... shitty," he murmured, looking up at the sky—a lame response to deaths that should not be described so lightly. "I wonder how they got the souls of all these specific kinds of people in one place to make my philosopher's stone... It makes no sense at all, actually. They all died at different times, some centuries apart. I... wonder...

"Not the time," he interrupted himself.

Ed unfolded the paper he had found lying around in the castle of Xerxes. In quick, almost undecryptable writing he read;

I am Second-lieutenant Rebecca Catalina of the East city headquarters. Six months ago, I made the stupid mistake of going out with a man who called himself Denis, which obviously wasn't his real name. All he wanted was to get intel on our special operations through my position in the military. He was very curious about the events that took place in Central almost 2 years ago on the Promise day.

Recently, I discovered what he and his band of criminals who call themselves the Cardinal Sin were plotting, and I stole what I heard them say was a philosopher's stone. I had to flee after that for they came after me.

The curious thing, though, was that this philosopher's stone kept changing shapes. Generally, it was weapons. I noticed this happened on a regular basis, sticking to a strict pattern. I can't tell at what intervals, though, because I had to leave my watch behind while running from Vain's pawns in my appartement.

I haven't been able to get to safety anywhere. They've been pursuing me for days and I haven't been able to get sleep in so long. I came to these ruins far from civilization hoping to evade them for I while, but I don't think I will be safe for long.

Some time ago, my pursuers had almost caught me. I knew they couldn't have the philosopher's stone, so I sent it to the only Alchemists in Hiven of the West, two men by the names of Philemon Smithson and Frederick Galemi. That's where I was at the time. But before I could retrieve it from them, the Cardinal Sin drove me out of the West.

I don't know what will happen in the future, but I am writing this letter for the eventually that the Cardinal Sin catches or kill me. I will leave it here in these ruins in hopes that someone may find it quickly if worst comes to worst.

Should I die before telling this to someone, their base is a small cottage on Moonrock beach in the city of Torchpit in the West.

I hope this reaches someone.

Signed: Second-lieutenant Rebecca Catalina, December 31rst, 1916

Rebecca Catalina. He'd never heard of her before, but, obviously, she was a military officer who'd been captured by this new enemy, the Cardinal sin. Most probably, since nearly two months had passed since the signed date, she was dead. At least her last efforts would pay off; before long, he would launch an attack of his own on the Cardinal sin, the band who had in their possession the shifting powder. If he could find out what they had been planning to do with it...

He ran both hands through his hair, roughing it up, then rested them on top of his head, surveying what was before him. Only now did he realize that he was standing half-naked in a crowded street, receiving many disapproving looks from citizens.

"Huh. I'd better find some actual clothes—no. That's not the priority. Before anything else, I need to find her."

He rolled his arms back, took a breath and then a step—he didn't get around to walking though, for he heard, "Edward."