“Haydon, you better show me that wound willingly. If not, I’ll get Markus to hold you down.” Felecia glared at him. Haydon’s eyes wandered around before sighing in defeat. He lifted his shirt, showing a nasty wound near his hip.

“Were you thinking of hiding it from me? What if it got infected? That would require a hell of a lot more energy to heal? Are you thinking of anyone but yourself?” Felecia’s bombardment continued.

“Sorry…” The warm light embraced Haydon’s wound. An intense itch pervaded the wound, but he resisted it in the end.

“He’s a quiet bloke, but it’s cos he feels bad that you need to heal him. Don’t be so rough on the man, Felicia.” Markus spoke up as he watched Haydon’s pathetic stature.

“Well, it’s my job. If you ever have any wounds, you better tell me, or I’ll get angry. If any of you die on my watch, I'll kill you again!” Felecia’s face turned into a scowl as she admonished the young men that surrounded her.

She then walked over to Markus as her staff lit up once more.

The pain of bone snapping back into place and mending itself scratched at his mind. Markus sighed in relief as the pain ended–he flexed his arm–turning it in all directions. “Thanks, doc.” His hand slammed into his palm, testing the strength of the freshly healed bone. Markus nodded in satisfaction.

Alphonse looked at the girl hard at work, running after everyone, making sure that she had healed any with major injuries. Her expression was serious, as even the small minor wounds had to be seen and checked by her. She really has changed. I remember when she hadn’t a care in the world. I wonder if she can ever regain that innocence and naivety; the thought fermented in his mind. Well, the same goes for all of us. What have I forgotten? I can’t put my finger on it.

“Alphonse, your turn.” Her previous scowl turned to a gentle smile as she lifted his arm, her eyes turned to focus as the wound was swiftly healed.

“Hey, why are you so rough with the rest of us, but gentle with him? That's favoritism y’know,” Tariq said. “Not a quality a healer should have.”

“If you were as kind as him, I may treat you the same.” Felecia moved her head to the side.

“Alphonse? Kind? Are we talking about the same person?” Tariq shook his head, but then his eyes opened in surprise. “Ah, no offense Al.”

A wry smile appeared on Alphonse’s face as he stood up. “Alright, let’s head out. We have some catching up to do.”

“Can’t wait to meet up with that rat.” Markus had a fierce frown that cast a deep shadow on his face. It was the common sentiment within the group.

Alphonse’s eyes rested on a pile of ashes that had once been the so-called Homunculus. What a shame. He lamented at the fact he could cook none of it. But his eyes suddenly sparkled. Maybe I can use its ashes as an ingredient? Like a cornmeal substitute, I remember people using it for pizzas or something. With the thought, he scooped up the ashes with an empty water container.

Alphonse walked around the many holes and craters that had been gouged out of the earth. The smell of ground up rock wafted through the air. The already musty air made it quite difficult to breathe. With Alphonse’s heightened senses, he couldn’t help but lift his arm up to his face, using his sleeve as a mask. It wasn’t very effective, but anything to lessen the amount of dust particles from invading his nostrils was a plus.

He neared one of the many bushes that had sprouted to life within the castle’s courtyard. Using his bony fingers, he plucked the flower out of the shell of thorns that protected it. The flower was vibrant purple that had black leaves gently wrapped around its brittle petals. Lowering his arm slightly, just enough room so that he could place the flower on his nose. His nose twitched as he took a sniff. It’s sweet, with a hint of rose? I was expecting it to smell like death. With that thought, he gathered more of them before placing the flowers in his bag. More ingredients couldn't hurt, it is best to learn to experiment. After all, it wasn’t like his stomach had any problems with digesting anything.

The group walked over to the only direction that was available to them, forwards. Seeing the already opened large dark wooden doors, a calm seething anger surged within Alphonse’s mind. It was a strange combination. His thoughts were in peace. The thoughts of killing were in his mind, without being influenced by the voices, yet he didn’t feel any guilt thinking those thoughts. The calm, alongside the want to kill, brought a terrifying nature. I don’t know who I can trust or when I’ll be inevitably betrayed. I don’t know if they are my friends or not, but I'll protect them as long as they reciprocate it. If something happens… I don’t mind ripping them to shreds, either. A smile crept up onto Alphonse’s face as he walked through the thick wooden doors and into the castle.

“Wow, look at the details on that.” Tariq placed his hands on a piece of heavy fabric banner that hung from the wall. Fourteen of them all lined the wall. Seven on one side and the other seven on the opposite side.

“Do you have to touch everything with your dirty goblin hands?” Gabriel snorted. “It’s not even that high quality either, see the ones in my home.”

“Oh look at you getting all high and mighty,” Tariq said. “And you mean your dad’s home, right? I couldn’t imagine taking credit for my parents' success.”

“Of course you wouldn’t, because they have had none.” Gabriel said. An impudent smile formed on his face as he watched Tariq’s face become red.

“What the fuck are you saying?” Tariq stepped towards the wizard.

“That’s enough. Don’t make me put both of you into the dunce corner.” Markus warned.

It seems like this place is getting to everyone. Alphonse shook his head.

Alphonse looked at the symbols on either side of the walls. One side looked to be sinister with dark colours, whereas the others were completely the opposite. The white brought with it a sense of peace and clarity.

They walked into a hall. Two grand staircases lay on either side of the room, with a set of doors in between. A chandelier hung imposingly within the middle of the room as it sparkled under the flickering lights of candles that were still burning.

Alphonse legs halted, a smell of metal that had been rusted. It was all too familiar, as it tickled his senses. Blood, it smells fresh. The thought warned Alphonse to be careful. His eyes met with Haydon, and it looked like he also had the same feeling.

“Get ready.” Alphonse warned as he crept forwards, towards the smell of blood.

Alphonse approached the twin set of doors. It left a small gap open as his eyes peered through it.

It was hard to see, as rubble and debris covered the area, but his eyes rested on the side profile of a human. The face was mangled and a lot of the flesh had vanished. One of their eyes dangled downwards, drops of blood falling from the iris. The only feature he could make out was the common green uniform that the recruits were wearing. That should be Kristen… The familiar chestnut hair had a faint resemblance, although it was hard to tell, as a lot of it had been ripped out by its roots. What did she expect? Alphonse shook his head as his foot took a step back.

Alphonse’s ears twitched as the doors groaned open. A rotten flesh of a corpse greeted him. Its dead white eyes blankly looked ahead, its ears moved at the sound of the young group in front of it. The monster opened its mouth as a scream left its dry, dead throat.

Alphonse coldly looked forwards as his leg thrashed towards the monster's chest, the sharp sound of bones cracking entered his ears as the creature shot backwards. Its less than agile body could not keep its balance as it crashed to the floor.

Alphonse watched as many small white marbles looked in his direction. The sound had garnered their attention as they roared forwards.

“Alphonse, get out of the way!” The air in the room became stifled as mana channeled into Gabriel's staff.

A smile formed on Alphonse’s face as he turned his head towards the wizard. “Keep your mana. I’ve got this.”

Alphonse shot into the room. The feeling of sending the zombie flying with a kick was fresh in his mind.

Alphonse watched patiently as one corpse's fists hurtled towards his face. With a step to the side, Alphonse brandished his cleaver as his strength tore through the zombie's neck. The corpse’s skin was incredibly thick, the feeling of cutting into stone transmitted into his hands, but it cut through.

It sent directly another attack at his chest, the clawed like hand of the corpse accurately hitting its mark as its fingers tore through Alphonse’s chest–despite the accurate hit–Alphonse’s body faded into nothingness.

Alphonse appeared behind the zombie as his shadowed teeth devoured the corpse’s head entirely in one bite. Cuts and lacerations appeared on Alphonse’s body, despite not even being touched by their attacks. So that’s the warning from [ Flicker Steps ]. The thought to be careful disappeared from his mind as he vanished from the spot once more.