Chapter #58: The Blood That Refuses to Stay Buried
The northern wind howled with a different kind of fury that afternoon, as if the fortress of Briggs itself sensed that something was about to break. General Falken, consumed by an anger he no longer tried to hide, deployed all his men. This was not a rescue operation.
It was a hunt.
"I want every meter of ice searched!" he roared. "Bring me Olivier Mira Armstrong and Buccaneer—alive or dead! But her… I want her dead."
The orders spread like an electric shock. Armed soldiers poured down from the walls, patrolled the frozen paths, and scanned the endless white horizon. Falken remained above, fists clenched, carrying the bitter certainty that this woman had not only disobeyed him—she had challenged his authority… and something far deeper.
It didn't take long before a lookout shouted from the tower.
"Movement ahead! Three figures approaching!"
Binoculars confirmed the impossible. Olivier walked at the front, upright, covered in snow and dried blood. Behind her, Buccaneer advanced with difficulty. Between them, they dragged two bodies.
"What the hell…?" Falken muttered.
The gates opened.
Olivier crossed the line of the wall without lowering her gaze. She dropped the bodies onto the ground with a heavy thud.
"As promised, sir," she said firmly. "Here they are."
Falken stormed down the steps, his strides long and furious.
"What is this?" he demanded, pointing at the bodies. "What do you think you're doing?"
"The spies," she replied. "Once their wounds heal, they'll be more than willing to talk."
She ordered them taken inside the base at once, covered with blankets, their faces hidden. Falken watched in tense silence.
Before they were carried away, Olivier added,
"The larger one… may look familiar to you, General."
The words struck like a spark in a powder keg.
"Uncover him," Falken ordered.
The cloth fell.
The world stopped.
The face that appeared was unmistakable.
"No…" Falken whispered, before exploding. "COLONEL, DO YOU THINK I'M A FOOL?!"
The echo of his shout thundered against the steel walls.
"My brother is dead!" he continued. "I buried him myself on a mountain to the north, as was his final wish! This is a vile farce!"
At that moment, the body moved.
Armd opened his eyes with difficulty.
"Brother…?" he murmured. "They told me you had died."
Absolute silence followed.
The soldiers didn't dare breathe.
Falken's fury turned into something darker. More dangerous.
"Take them away," he finally said, his voice ice-cold. "All of them. To a cell."
"All of us?" Buccaneer protested. "And why am I included?"
Falken looked at him with contempt.
"Major, I don't know whether you're an accomplice or just an idiot. I don't care. All of you—into a cell."
The prisoners were led deep into Briggs. Wounded, exhausted, unable to transmute without circles or freedom of movement, they posed no immediate threat. Even so, Olivier made sure to place special restraints on Snake, nullifying any attempt at alchemy.
When they were alone, Olivier leaned toward him.
"Where are you from?" she asked.
Snake slowly raised his head.
"East City."
Olivier frowned.
"Amestris?"
"Yes," he replied bluntly. "I made a deal with Drachma. They funded my experiments… in exchange for information."
"Why?" she asked.
For the first time, Snake's arrogance cracked.
"Because the State Alchemists saw no future in my research. They called me insane. Said botanical alchemy could never restore what was lost."
He clenched his teeth.
"I only wanted to bring my beloved back."
Olivier straightened, her expression hard, yet not without understanding.
"And for that, you sold out your country."
"For that," he admitted. "And I would do it again."
Olivier turned away, letting the sound of the closing doors seal the moment.
Above them, Falken stood alone, staring into nothingness, forced to face a truth he had tried to bury alongside his brother.
But blood…
blood never stays buried forever.
End of chapter