Alchemised

by SenLinYu

Ferron stared at her, his mouth twisting. “Are you wanting a confession? Shall I tell you everything I’ve done?” She stared into his mocking eyes. “Do you want to?”

he was telling the truth, if he’d been in command at the ports during the attack, then all the information he’d passed on would have been to his knowing detriment.

There was an alchemical array carved into his skin.

He was in a crucible, and he was the crucible, and he would either die terribly or be wholly alchemised into something that could survive the paradox.

Calculating, Cunning, Devoted, Determined, Ruthless, Unfailing, Unhesitating, and Unyielding.

“I’m so sorry, Kaine.”

He was wearing only trousers and a white shirt with half the buttons undone.

She wasn’t going to let him suffer and die for finally doing something good in his life.

“We’re—he uses his bones, pieces of them, when we’re made.

He shares a piece of himself with us, and we give all of ourselves to him.”

“What would happen if you stole your phylactery?”

it was because of Luna’s inconstant nature that Sol had birthed Lumithia from his own heart,

“And if you couldn’t? If a monster can’t be made loyal, what would you do then?”

“You’re so pragmatic.” The words brushed against her lips.

“Don’t die, Marino. I might miss you.”

Her vision went white, and when it returned Ferron’s face swam before her, except he was glowing. His eyes had gone bright silver.

Ferron was seated backwards on the chair, the fingers of one hand pressed against his forehead as if he was dealing with an intense migraine.

You do this and Kaine Ferron will never let you go, and he will not be content with being secondary to anyone.”

Stone of the Heavens?”

The way he moved reminded her of a panther

She backed into the wall. “I’m not sure—” “Stay,” he said softly, and his head dipped so close she felt his breath in her hair. “You know, there’s something about you, Marino, that inspires the most terrible decisions from me. I’ll know better, but then I’ll still…” His voice trailed off as he tucked a stray curl behind her ear, finger running along her jaw.

He smiled. The first real smile she’d ever seen from him.

“Thank you, Marino.” She swallowed, lifting her gaze. “Still not Helena?” He exhaled, avoiding her eyes. “Helena.”

“If you don’t want me to kiss you, you should say so now,” he said.

He was known for eating his victims on the battlefield.

“It’s something only animancers are capable of.”

Her death count was the numerical representation of her failures. All the lives she hadn’t saved, the ways she fell short. For Kaine, it was a mark of power. His victims, even Principate Apollo, all represented what made him so valuable.

“Oh yes, your rose in a graveyard,” she said, lip curling. “Was the array for me, too?” “Who else?” he asked, his voice empty, just a touch of irony in it.

“Don’t die, Kaine,” she said. The line he walked frightened her. If the array was the punishment for a failure, what would the price of betrayal be? A smirk twisted his mouth as he looked at her. “There are far worse fates than dying, Marino.” She nodded. “I know. But that one you don’t come back from.” He gave a bitter laugh. “All right, then, but only because you asked.”

As if this was the consequence of her request that he not die, she was instead forced to witness the misery of his inability to.

When Morrough was finally done, I’m told Basilius went home and ate his wife alive in their marriage bed. I believe he had children, too. All gone.”

But worse still was knowing all that and still craving those rare moments in which he was gentle. Because that was all she had left.

He moved lightly, almost like a cat, making very little noise.

She knew he expected her to say something like, Until you can come to me, and I’ll tenderly nurse you to health.

“Eyes are awful. I mean, hopefully if you ever lost one, it would just grow back, but if not…” She exhaled. “The tissue doesn’t matrice the same way. It’s very tedious work, and nerve-racking. You should—probably come to me for that. Well, I mean—”

Kaine was watching her, his eyes intent, but the expression vanished the instant she looked up.

“You are not ever allowed to take these apart or turn them into medical instruments. Not for anyone.”

nullium into the blood is less effective than simply targeting the limbs with it. If that kind of interference was focused near the hands, it would be almost impossible for an alchemist to accurately sense their resonance.

Helena squeezed her hand into a fist. “I assumed that if you had to choose between the two of us, you’d want him.”

I’m not sure of the process, but afterwards, his temple was full of corpses, and their souls were bound together, synthesised into this—substance. He used it, the power, to reanimate them all.”

“You don’t get to lie to me and then get angry when I make the mistake of believing you,” Helena said.

“You want honesty?” Ilva’s voice was viperous. “I want you to kill Kaine Ferron.”

Kaine did this,

she was being forced to choose. Luc or Kaine? She could only save one. She had to choose Luc, but it was going to kill her to do it.

“Because I’m not your friend anymore. Your friend Helena Marino died in a field hospital six years ago. She doesn’t exist anymore. I need you to let her go.” He didn’t, though. Luc caught her hand again. His face was stricken, and he was so beautiful.

“You always have to come back,” she said. “All right? Don’t die. Promise—”

“All right…” he said, “but only because you asked.”

Ferron was already there, his cloak and coat stripped off, dressed down, and his shirtsleeves were rolled past the elbows.

When she tried to stab him, he managed to catch both her wrists in one hand. He pinned her wrists over her head, forcing her knives to fall from her fingers, and then he proceeded to sit on her hips.

“If you’re ever pinned down like that, I would not recommend trying to escape that way,” he said in a tight voice, turning as if catching his breath.