Heart of a SIN - FMA Envy Fanfic [Edited]

32 - Trust

Arisa pov:

"Gate? What are you guys talking about?" Keith asked, making me roll my eyes.

"Honestly, you've been here for three years and you still don't know what the Gate is? Then again, if you've been in the Ishval settlement all this time, you wouldn't know because they consider alchemy as a taboo and don't even mention the word. The Gate is basically like a separator between the alchemy and non-alchemy world," I said, ignoring the fact that Scar was boring holes through my head with his eyes.

"Where did you find that out from?" Scar asked. He sounded anxious and I met his piercing gaze.

"From the homunculi and Dr. Marco."

"Homunculi? What's that now?" My brow twitched at Keith's question. He'd been here three years and he didn't have slightest idea of what going on. How did he survive like this??

"I am this close to punching you in the face, Keith," I said with a smile but a nerve pulsing in irk, showing him barely a few millimeters of distance between my fingers.

Though he was much older than me, twenty four years older to be precise, we had a weird kind of friendship. Though he was my teacher from whom I had learnt many things, I never hesitated from expressing my annoyance out loud or regarding him with a punch or a kick for something stupid he did. He knew that too so he gave a sheepish smile as he held his hands up in defense.

"Homunculi are artificial humans created from failed human transmutation. When alchemists try to resurrect someone from the dead using alchemy, it fails because of the imbalance of the Law of Equivalent Trade. It results in a homunculus – a body with no soul. I've met several of them and, let me tell you, most of them are not pleasant company." I placed a hand on my stomach remembering the super painful bruise I had received from Greed.

I also remembered Envy and the last kiss we had shared. It was probably one of the best moments I had experienced beside the exhilarating thrill of going on undercover missions. But after I found out that he killed Hughes san, I couldn't bring myself to even look at his face no matter how much I missed him.

He wasn't a homunculus by choice, and he did what was in his nature to do. Following Dante too was out of fear, I knew, for she was probably the only one who knew his weakness, and she did anything and everything required for their survival, no matter how cruel it was. She was cold-hearted, and so were the homunculi, but they could be kind if they wanted to, if they were given the chance to. Just as I had given Envy the chance to with me and Leo.

I had made a promise to myself that I would find a way to create the Philosopher Stone and turn Envy into a human. It would end his life as a criminal and fugitive, or whatever he could be called now, and make it so that he could live by my side. Perhaps I sounded cheesy when I confessed that I wanted to be with him but it was true. And I was proud and honored that I had become someone he did not hesitate to honestly express himself in front of. I was honored that I was so trusted, over Dante and his own homunculi comrades.

"Oh, I see you've been studying," Keith brought me out of my thoughts.

Though he was not an alchemist and knew only little of my abilities, his lack of knowledge in the matter had me shaking my head with a sigh.

"I knew about homunculi, human transmutation and chimera even before I came here, Keith. But I was able to get some hints on the Gate from the homunculi and a former State Alchemist, Dr. Marco, after I came here, while I was trying to figure out if there was a way home."

"The Crystal Alchemist," Scar said, gaining both of our attention.

"That's right," I said with a nod, "he was given that title because he has the knowledge on how to create the Red Stone. He told me the difference between the Red Water, the Red Stone and the Philosopher Stone. The Red Water, despite having the power to give alchemist and non-alchemists the ability to use alchemy, is very unstable. There are some dangerous side effects as well if used wrongly. The Red Stone is the crystallized form of the Red Water, and if crystallized properly, can increase the power of alchemy of the user. It was these stones that were used in the Ishval war. The Philosopher Stone though, is a combination of Red Water and human lives – which is why it goes beyond the rules of Equivalent Exchange. It is highly possible that a person can be resurrected perfectly or a homunculus turned into a human by using the Philosopher Stone."