“Little prince….” One of the robed people said. “If you want them to live, then come here.”
Alphonse gripped his fists hard trying to control his anger. His feet started to move forward towards the hooded robbed men.
“No Al, do not go.” Aerith held her brother’s hand. She held on to it as if her life depended on it and stopped her brother from taking another step.
“It is okay Rith. I will be careful, I promise.” Alphonse replied and gently pulled his sister grip of from his hand. “I promise to get Hart and Thalia back, safe and sound..”
Alphonse resumed walking towards the hooded robed men. His steps vibrated inside the building.
“Snow, do something.” Aerith begged her. “What if those robed men kidnap Al as well?”
“I want to little princess, but I cannot.” Snow said with a troubled expression. “I feel that there is some kind of barrier around them. Something that even I cannot break. My body feels heavy and it is as if I am bound to the place where I am standing now.”
“W-What?” Aerith was stunned. “Come to think of it, I can feel a faint presence of magic. Are they Atlantians? How dare they do this to us!” she looked at the robed men with fury.
“No, it is different form Atlantian magic little princess.” Snow replied. “I think they are of different properties. But the result is like the magic that we have.”
Alphonse was a little closer to the hooded robed men that was holding Leonhart and Thalia as hostages. The two little children were trying to break free from their grip but to no avail.
Alphonse passed by what seemed to be a magic circle. He felt something weigh down his entire body.
‘What is this?’ Alphonse thought. ‘My body is feeling quite heavy all of a sudden.’
Alphonse’s pace become slow and dragging. It is visible to others that he is getting weaker by every step he takes.
The magic circle around the hooded robed men started to emit a faint violet glow. In every step Alphonse take, the light becomes brighter and stronger. At last, Alphonse cannot make another step and he fell on his knees down on the floor.
“Al!” Aerith ran towards her brother but was stopped by an invisible wall at the outer rings of the magic circle. “No! Al, get up.” She banged on the invisible wall numerous timed to no avail.
“Little prince!” Snow tried to move from where she was standing but she was not able to budge an inch. It was like some force is preventing her from getting out of the spot she was standing.
“No, brother.” Leonhart resisted his captors. “Do not let them get you!”
Alphonse was feeling the pressure build up on his body. Even speaking had become very difficult for him. Now he knows why the kidnappers had tried to lure them there rather than kidnap him themselves. The hooded robed men knew what Alphonse was capable of and set a magic trap to trap him in.
Aerith was crying seeing her twin brother getting weaker every second that was going by. She looked at the magic circle and tried to decipher the symbols.
‘I do not recognize the symbols and letters. They are very different from ours.’ Aerith thought. ‘But the pattern is the same from the magic traps Uncle Jack had thought me. Maybe I can do something.’
Aerith kneeled down the edge of the magic circle and put her hands on the ground where it was carved in. She used her magic and tried to decipher the magic circles components and planned to dismantle it.
“Just wait for me Al.” Aerith said with determination. “I will save you and our little brother and Thalia.” She concentrated on the task she had at hand.
“Hah… hah…” Alphonse was panting hard. “Y-You got what you want. L-Let them go.” He tried his best to utter the words out of his mouth.
“Not quite yet.” A hooded robed man came walking towards Alphonse.
The hooded robed man stopped in front of the kneeling Alphonse. The little prince looked as if he was suffering. He was breathing pretty hard and was sweating profusely.
“I am not yet sure if this alchemic circle can hold you down. But I am quite happy that it was a success.” The hooded robed man said. He squatted down to be on Alphonse’s level of sight. “I was the one that made this alchemic circle myself. After days and nights of research on how to contain The Almighty One’s powers, this is what came out. Can you feel it? Your magic being drained from that body of yours.” He gestured on the circle with symbols that is growing brightly as ever.
“W-What is it that you want?” Alphonse tried to talk even with his whole body feeling the pressure.
“What do I want? You are the one that stole from us. Well, your past incarnation to be precise.” The hooded robed man took of his robe and his face was revealed. The man inside the hood was still young. He had black hair and slanted eyes, the features of the people of Xing country. “We are just here to get it back. The thing that you stole from me, as the rightful heir to that power. The four sacred beasts that is the gods of our country.”
“W-What?” Alphonse was at a loss. “What are you talking about? The sacred beast are not mine. Why are you telling me that I stole them? They are not mine to begin with.”
Alphonse knew bout the sacred beasts. He knew that his family was chosen as their masters. They belong to his parents and uncles. But the man before him was asking ‘him’ for the sacred beasts.
“You do not need to understand.” The robed man from Xing said. “You just have to stay there while I drain you of all your magic powers.”
The robed man from Xing stood up. There was a strange symbol from where Alphonse was kneeling down and where the Xing man was standing. The symbols started to resonate with each other. Alphonse felt pressure on his entire body like never before. It felt like electricity was flowing out of his body.
“Ahhhh…” Alphonse screamed in pain.
“No, Al!” Aerith shouted when she heard her twin brothersscream of pain.
“Brother!” Leonhart was trashing around, trying to break free from his captors.
Thalia was starting to cry out loud after seeing Alphonse in so much pain.
“Yes… yes, this is it.” The robed man from Xing was laughing out loud. “I can feel it, the surge of so much energy. This is the magic power that was stolen from us many years ago.”
The light from Alphonse was starting to weaken while the light on the robed man from Xing was getting brighter and brighter.
“Ahh, I can feel it.” One of the hooded robed men said.
“Yes, I can feel power coming inside of me.” Another replied.
The alchemic circle was designed to sip out power from a power source an be given to the people that were standing at a specific symbol. Because of this, Alphonse’s power was being drained out of him and being transferred to the hooded robed men.
Alphonse looked up to the Xing man filled with fury. He looked quite helpless in his situation, but his eyes were still burning.
“Why are you looking at me like that little kid?” The Xing man asked with a grin. “You are the one that stole this power from us in the first place. I am just here to take it back. In the past, our country was blessed by the four sacred beasts. Magic was a power only given to us of the royal blood line. But as the story goes, a heretic was born into the royal family. He was a curse even to our country, and one day he stole everything from us. The scared beasts, the magic power, all of the blessings bestowed in our country were all gone. My ancestors had a difficult time after, but with the absence of magic alchemy was born. It was the substitute for the magic you have stolen, but my ancestors promised that we will get it all back. And here I am now, to do the promise made by my ancestors. I am here to take it all back. Every drop of it.”
Alphonse’s energy was being drained from his body. He was feeling very weak, as if all his strength was being sucked away from his body. He saw Aerith trying to decipher the alchemic circle in haste. He also saw Leonhart and Thalia trying their hardest to get away from their captors.
“Let me go!” Leonhart tried his hardest. “Let me go, you buffoon!” He bit the hand of the hooded robed man holding him.
“Ahhh…” The hooded robed man let go of Leonhart while holding his hand in pain. “Why you little…” He slapped Leonhart hard that the little prince went flying at the invisible wall of the magic circle. He hit it hard and fell on the ground not moving.
“Leonhart!” Thalia was stunned and also bit her captors’ arm.
“You brat!” The hooded robed man tried to catch Thalia but did not want to get away from the symbol he was standing on.
Thalia ran towards the now unconscious Leonhart.
“Leonhart… Leonhart…” Thalia was crying while calling to the little prince. “Please wake up.”
“No!!! HART!” Aerith was stunned seeing her little brother lying on the floor unconscious. “You… you will pay for this!” Anger was etched on her beautiful face. She gripped her fists and continued deciphering the alchemic circle.
The alchemic circle’s light started to wane. Aerith was successful to weaken the hold of the alchemic circle.
“You…” Alphonse who had his head bowed down said. “You are going to pay for what you did.” He said with a low but chilling voice.
“What did you say?” The Xing man who was standing before him asked in a confused manner.
“I said…” Alphonse looked up the Xing man. His eyes started to glow white. “You are going to pay with what you did to my little brother!” He shouted in fury.
