Stand by You

XXXVI

"The leftovers," The gold-toothed man shrugged. "But then, they have received great deal of combat training. They aren't as strong as Führer Bradley, but they are strong."

The men charged at us. Edward deflected their sword attacks with his automail arm as Scar nimbly dodged his attacks. Colonel attempted to engage in hand-to-hand combat with one of them while Lieutenant Hawkeye used her hand guns against them. I clapped my hands and made the ground go up underneath them, but they jumped away the ground gave way. One of them put me in a headlock and I bit his arm hard. He let go of me and blood dribbled down from the teeth marks I left on him. "God damn it!" Edward cussed. "I know these guys are superhuman, but come on!"

Edward continued to deflect attacks while also slashing back. Scar attempted to blow one of the guy's brains out but he dodged before he did so. I drew both of my swords and crossed swords with the guy in front of me while fending off a guy behind me. Colonel punched a guy and he and Lieutenant Hawkeye backed up until they were back-to-back again. They jumped back, aiming their weapons of destruction at each other. Colonel smiled in reassurance that it was just his Lieutenant before she fired three times and killed the guy that was trying to sneak-attack Colonel. "You left your back wide-open, Colonel," Lieutenant Hawkeye chastised.

"I'm letting my subordinate cover it," Colonel Mustang countered. "It happens."

The gold-toothed man was drawing on the ground. He looked up after he was finished, showing his insane eyes again. Lieutenant Hawkeye shot one of the guys down. "That will do," he said, "Now then, shall we get started? No. 17, No. 18, No. 21, No. 23, No. 26, come here."

Following his orders, five of the men that caught us ran up to the gold-toothed man. "What's going on?!" Edward cried.

Edward saw the transmutation circle under the gold-toothed man and his eyes widened. The transmutation circle was in the shape of a pentagon with a circle surrounding it and small circles circling the vertices. "Here goes!" The gold-toothed man smiled, raising a hand into the air. He slammed his hand onto the circle. Blue light appeared and sparks made a circle around the men, lines connecting them to the center circle. Lightning flew all across the room.

"What have you done?!" Edward demanded.

"Oh, this is just the first stage," said the gold-toothed man. "Do you know how many alchemy laboratories there are under direct prefectural control here in a Central?"

"There are four of them currently in use within the city," Edward replied before remembering the Fifth Laboratory that I was held hostage within. "The Fifth Laboratory...five of them. A five-cornered transmutation circle!"

"Don't tell me that curved underground passageway connected the laboratories together in a circle!" Lieutenant Hawkeye gasped.

The blue light flashed and consumed the room in a dark magenta light. The gold-toothed man cackled evilly as tentacle-like black arms emerged and decomposed the men surrounded the circle. A giant eye appeared underneath Edward and those same arms reached up and began to decompose him. Edward screamed as he stumbled to break free from them. "Fullmetal!" Mustang shouted.

"EDWARD!" I shrieked as dashed over, grabbing his hand and struggled to pull him free, not wanting to repeat that same mistake from Briggs. But it was like he was glued to the ground.

"Little girl, it's no use!" The gold-toothed man cackled. "He's the sacrifice! He must go!"

"E-Evie..." Edward struggled desperately.

"Hold on!" I gritted my teeth as I yanked Edward with all my might but to no avail. Suddenly, his hands decomposed and he screamed as he was consumed entirely. The giant eye underneath him closed and the sparks stopped flying all over the room. Everyone stared dumbfounded and shocked as I stared at my empty hand as questions swarmed my head. How did Edward vanish like that? Why? Was he the only one? What's going to happen to him?