Alchemist of Metals

Strange Group

The air inside the cave smelled of pine sap, smoke, and a hint of ash. It was warmer now, thanks to the fire and the stone walls that trapped the heat.

The shadows danced along the walls, and outside the cave's mouth, the world was black, except for the occasional glint of moonlight reflecting off untouched snow.

Peter, the boy who had been badly injured when they first arrived, leaned against the cave wall, his head supported by Gena as she spoon-fed him water from a wooden cup Julian had carved. He was awake now, pale and groggy, but alive.

"Thank you again," Marcus said, breaking the quiet. "I mean it. For everything."

Julian sat with his legs crossed near the fire, poking at the embers with a stick. "No problem," he replied, though his voice sounded distant.

He stared into the flames for a moment longer, thinking. He felt nervous in their presence. He wasn't used to speaking with people outside of his mother, the maids, and a few guards, but he knew those thoughts didn't matter here. This was a trial where everyone was an enemy, where a single mistake could get you killed.

That was why he felt this way. Something about this group's sudden appearance didn't sit right.

"What actually happened to you guys?" Julian asked finally, shifting the stick in the fire again. "I mean, I've been out here for days and haven't run into anything crazy. Just snow, fish, and cold. But looking at you all… something's off. This trial was supposed to be about survival, not an all-out war."

Lucas snorted who had been tending to Peter's bandages. "You really don't know about the Silverback Dire Wolves?"

Julian raised an eyebrow. "You mean the white wolves with the silver streaks down their backs and the icy blue eyes? Yeah, I know them. They hunt in four. Scouter, chaser, and two flankers. Classic pack strategy, but dangerous. Not the kind of creature you want to meet alone. If they were part of this trial many would die."

Mary shivered. "That's harsh…"

"But accurate," Marcus continued with a nod. "You know a lot about them." 

Julian shrugged. "Read it in a survival encyclopedia. Back at the library."

Marcus scratched at his arm and sat forward. "Anyway… the wolves are only part of it. Ever since they showed up around day two, things changed. People started dying from panic and fear."

"People couldn't sleep. Couldn't gather food," Gena continued quietly, staring down. "Some teams lost two, three members in one night."

Julian listened silently, frowning.

Peter let out a weak cough and struggled to sit up straighter. Mary helped him adjust his posture with care.

"It wasn't just the wolves," Marcus continued. "The real problem came after. Some of the stronger teams started calling shots. Lady Miya. Sir Henry. Felix. They started organizing bases or they can be called safe zones."

"They weren't that safe," Peter muttered bitterly.

"Each leader had their own group," Marcus said. "Seven core members. But they started absorbing other survivors too. Making them swear loyalty just to stay."

"Loyalty?" Julian echoed, eyes narrowing.

"Yeah," Peter croaked. "Once you joined one group, the others saw you as a traitor. It became… political. War-like. If you joined Lady Miya, you were an enemy to Sir Henry's people. If you sided with Felix, you were hated by both."

Julian's jaw tightened. "That's not survival. That's tribal warfare.."

"You think that's bad?" Gena interrupted; her eyes sharp with anger. "Felix, the son of one of Brimstone’s top Canon Gun Alchemists and a general in the navy. He set up his group with this twisted rule."

She clenched her fists.

"Every girl that joined had to be his personal servant. 'Bed care' he called it. Like we're throwing pillows for his ego."

Julian's expression went blank.

"That's…" he muttered under his breath, "incestuous."

"If anyone disobeyed," Marcus said, "his men would punish them."

"Fed them to the wolves?" Julian said, just making a wild guess but the cave fell into silence. 

The silence showed his guess wasn't wild but a true reality.

"You guys went through hell," Julian said after a long pause. 

Peter chuckled bitterly. "That's putting it nicely."

Julian stood and began tidying up his tools, his wooden bowl, fish bones, some broken branches from the firewood stash.

"Hey, Julian," Marcus called.

Julian didn't look back. "Yeah?" 

"Thanks again… really."

"You know…" he said, smiling slightly as he turned his head. "you're not fooling anyone." 

Marcus blinked in shock. "Huh?"

The rest of the group sat up slightly, surprised by the shift in tone. Julian didn't face them. He kept packing his stuff.

"We're all children of Zoldyck, right? A family full of alchemists and nobles at that, we are all smart people. You don't think I'd notice something's off?"

The cave grew quiet again. Only the fire crackled between them.

"We're fighting to become something greater," Julian continued, "to prove our worth. That means lying, betraying, killing, even in ways that aren't so obvious."

He turned now, slowly, eyes dark and tired. "You're not here by accident. Miya sent you right? On Lisanna's request."

Gena's breath caught, Marcus blinked, and Mary looked away. Julian could see it… how their shoulders stiffened, how Lucas instinctively reached for something under his coat before stopping himself.

"Wha—What are you talking about?" Marcus laughed nervously. "You're misunderstanding—"

"Your mistake was bringing up Miya," Julian cut in.

"I also mentioned Sir Henry!" Marcus argued quickly.

"You did. And that's the second mistake," Julian said, stepping closer. "You spoke like someone trying too hard to sound casual. Like someone trying to blend in but all I could see was loyalty towards them."

Gena scowled. "That doesn't mean anything. We just know more—"

"And your injured friend?" Julian pointed at Peter. "Never once mentioned Felix by title. But even if he's trash, he's still a Main-line. You don't forget that when you're from the lower-line."

Peter sat up straighter, face contorting. "I was injured because of that jerk! Why should I pretend to respect him when I almost died because of him?"

"You're right," Julian nodded. "But that means your group did meet Felix. And you survived. Which means someone saved you."

He stepped closer to the fire. "And that someone… made a request to find me." Julian's voice turned quiet. 

"You were saved by Miya. Maybe Henry is allied to her. But the deal was clear, find Julian. Isolate him. Maybe weaken him. Or just deliver a message."

"All what you are saying doesn't make any sense right now." Gena interrupted, "Why would someone like Lady Miya send people to find you?” 

"Hahaa.. Plus, you also never referred to Lady Miya and Sir Henry with the title, you just called them by their name," Lucas added.

"I don't because I don't care about blood-line, also it seemed I killed someone close to Lisanna and she's obviously a strong member of Miya's team since I saw them together before the trial began." Julian replied, face darkened.

"Everyone calm down" Marcus took a little step to the middle trying to calm the situation down, having a fox-like smile on his face.

"You guys should stop!!" Mary suddenly shouted, her voice cracking. "I can't do this anymore!" 

Tears streamed down her face as her breathing grew uneven. Before anyone could react, she rushed toward the firewood pile, snatching up a piece of wood. Her grip tightened as she lifted it, ready to throw it at Julian.

Julian flinched and moved forward, hand outstretched to stop her, but in that split second, Marcus struck.

Without a word, he stepped in from the side, piercing a wooden stake like a dagger straight into Julian's side.

Julian gasped, the air catching in his throat as pain exploded through his ribs.