Of Wolves and Metal

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Beth's Dream (her POV)

I was walking through the halls of their home. Their parents long gone to the other world, leaving just her brother and her alone. I held my notebook close to my chest, excited to show my brother what I'd been working on. He still didn't know I was studying alchemy to be his assistant, and I was going to tell him today since I easily could now perform alchemy successfully.

I reached the "study" as Howard called it and gently turned the door knob and slowly opened the door so I wouldn't disturb him if he was working on something.

Sure enough, he was drawing up a large transmutation circle on the floor, around a pile of sand. He kept looking at his board and back to the floor every few seconds to make sure the correlation between the symbols on the board were the same on the floor.

He sat back after double checking everything. He glanced towards the door and I happily smiled at him.

"Hey sweetie." He says, giving me a toothy grin. "What 'cha up to?"

"Nothing really, I just wanted to know if you needed any help." I loosen my hold on the notebook and stepped toward him. "I've kinda been practicing so I can help. Besides, these armors can only move so much without a bit of alchemy mixed with their gears." Glancing over to my favorite, an enormous wolf armor. Their family built mechanized animals to aid people, but the wolf was my favorite, partially because no one saw the need for a large wolf and also because it reminded me of my older brother.

I looked back at him and he has a wistful look on his face.

"Sure thing kiddo. You sit over here where I am and I'm gonna go to the other side. Okay?" He stood up and pointed to where he was. I took my position after stuffing my notebook into the top of my boot so I wouldn't loose it. He walked around the circle to his position.

I looked at the board at where I had altered his calculations, he had seemed to have missed a few things and I secretly fixed it for him. It was then I realized that I had messed up, there was an extra symbol where it shouldn't have been and I didn't alter the amount of materials. My heart began to beat faster as I looked back at my brother's proud smile. It might be ok. I thought. Maybe it just won't work and we can fix it. It'll be fine...right?

I began to doubt but I pushed it aside, already thinking of a sealing alchemy to cover any possible explosion, it was in my notebook, all I had to do was turn to page 37 and use it.

My brother nodded to me and we placed our hands on the circle, engulfing the room in a bright blue light, typical of most alchemy. The sand began to swirl into a small tornado and I could see my brother smiling from across the circle.

Then, in an instant, everything changed.

The blue light turned red and black and sparked angrily in all directions, even the circle changed from white to flames. My brother's face, I would never forget that face as long as I live. It reflected utter horror and fear. I understood because I felt that same sensation shudder through my bones. I quickly backed away as the sand began hissing and the lightning hit it, each time causing small explosions. I reached for my notebook and turned to page 37, about to cover this possible danger in the scrap metal that was all around.

But I never got the chance.

All of a sudden, the lightning whirled around the sand, pressing it smaller and smaller. I knew what was happening, it was an implosion recoil. A few tendrils of lightning whipped around the room grabbing various things to pull in. It came close to my legs but I couldn't move anymore, I had nothing that could hold this. All I could think was This is all my fault, I did this. Please forgive me brother, I am so sorry.

What happened next went by in slow motion to my eyes. I saw Howard stand on the other side of the circle, ducking to see where I was. A tendril of lightning hit my left shoulder but didn't get a good enough grip. But the pain was enough to cause a weak scream, if you could call it that, to escape me. The next thing I saw was Howard jumping over the circle, no doubt able to do so because of his military training, and roll in front of where I was still partially paralyzed in fear. He turned and looked at me, tears streaming down his cheeks, it was then that I saw nearly 10 bits of lightning shoot out from the circle which was now ½ it's original size. They pierced through his body, blood spattering on the floorboards, metal, books and me.

"I love you sweetheart." He said, pushing me forcefully through the large wooden door of the study with all his might, before being pulled forcefully into the shrinking circle and disappearing.

I laid there in the remains of the door, for barely a minute before my mind caught up and I crawled on my hands and knees back into the room. Everything was thrown about, the whole room looked like a battle field. The only thing that remained intact was that large wolf armor due to its great weight.

My mind was racing. What do I do? What do I do? Then I remembered something about soul binding, where you can pull a soul into an object and anchor it there. I glanced up at my wolf and forced myself to stand.

"I want him back, return him now." I said over and over again as I removed the helmet and all the gears. I then drew a seal, a mark that my brother and I used to mark the way home in the woods and on various posts and bricks so I wouldn't get lost when I was younger. It was a a simple one, a circle with a triangle in it and a paw print in that. I knew that symbol in my sleep and I knew it would bring my brother home. I made the circle and a called his soul back, I'd give anything to have my brother back, and won't regret this decision I thought as I focused on the alchemy I'd never tried before.

I screamed as I activated the new transmutation circle. I had pulled the wolf closer to the circle and had replaced the helmet onto it. The light burned as it gripped my arms and tried to drag me away to the legendary Gate. Tears ran down my face as I pictured my brother clearly in my mind, I wanted him back. I pulled against the restricting light, it was not going to take me, I was too strong and I was not ready to die.

"Elizabeth!"

Brother?!

"Elizabeth!"

"I can save you Howard, hold on. Please, just don't leave me."

I felt my body shaking and a soft hand on my cheek. I could hear brother calling to me along with 2 other voices. There were others that sounded far away and scared. Why were they scared? Why could they not just listen before they judged us. We didn't perform a taboo, I only wanted to save my big brother. Why? Why? WHY?!

"ELIZABETH!"

My eyes snapped open and I jolted upright, forgetting where I was and looked around trying to make sense of my surroundings. I was hyperventilating and I felt sweaty. I saw a blond haired boy kneeling next to me with a worried expression and 2 large armors, one humanoid and one wolf.

Edward. Alphonse. My brother.

It was a nightmare, the memory of the night I killed my brother with my stupid mistake. My fault he was trapped in the wolf armor, and my responsibility to make it right.

"Elizabeth?" The wolf armor came closer, dipping its head to meet my eyes. I stared at it, my brother as I cried silently.