December 31st. New Year's Eve

The time was 11:00 A.M.

The time was right.

Alex sighed, sitting on his couch, contemplating and thinking in his head just what was about to happen.

'Everyone's asleep. No one is here to see. This may be the last time I'm awake. The last day I'm alive.'

He placed on a black cloak and got up and walked to the door, leaving the apartment room and walked down the stairs as he made it to the ground.

Unfortunately, he forgot to count for one person.

"Hey."

Alex heard and looked ahead to see Jackie.

"Jackie? What're you doing out so late?"

"I was coming back from Base Kamno. Had to work late and I was allowed to leave only a few minutes ago. What're you doing out here Alex?"

"I, was just gonna go out and..."

"And?"

At this point, Alex just couldn't keep lying.

He had to at least tell one person.

Especially since today was the day.

"Jackie. I'll tell you on one condition."

"What is it?"

"Please. Don't tell my mom."

"I can't tell Lady Akari? Why not?"

Alex breifly explained his past and mainly talked about his father and the massacre.

"So. You thought both your mother and father were dead for the last 6 years?"

"Yeah."

"Well, Lady Akari is alive. I don't see what's wrong with-."

"My father's also still alive." Said Alex cutting off the Neko from speaking.

"O-Oh. That's the bad part."

"Yeah. This, most likely will be suicide. I don't see any way I'll walk away alive and him dead. At the very best, we'll both be dead, and, at the very least, I'll die and he'll live on."

Jackie walked up, and placed a hand on his cheek, giving a comforting smile.

"If you can save me from death, I'm more than positive that you can save yourself and get this done."

"Thanks Jackie."

"Don't worry. You got my back. I'll tell Rita and Kaitlyn to not tell Lady Akari or Ms. Yae."

"Good. I'm heading out."

"Before you do..."

Jackie gave a kiss to Alex's cheek and moved away blushing.

Alex's eyes widened a litte but at this point, he should've expected it.

"T-Thanks for that. I, appreciate it."

"Just don't die. We'll all be waiting for you."

Alex nodded and walked off and away from his apartment.

[TimeSkip. Location: ???]

The walk was long.

Funnily enough Alex lived very close to HQ as his apartment room wasn't that far from the forest HQ was in, but, this time he had to walk past HQ, and go deeper into the forest.

As he continued to walk, he made it to a very familiar cliff.

He stood atop the cliff, seeing HQ in clear view above him, and below.

He saw it.

His home.

Former home.

Beneath the cliff, was the old, abandoned, and run down Lastation Slums in the distance.

For some reason, everyone thought the slums had been demolished not too long after the massacre.

At first it was just a rumor but then everyone just accepted it and nether bothered to check if it indeed was demolished.

So, while everyone continued on with their lives, the black sheep of Lastation, it's slums, still stood in the shadow of the most controversial organization.

It felt fitting.

Eventually, Alex had found a path and went down the cliff.

He walked on ahead and finally made it.

He stood in front of gates.

The entrance to the Lastation Slums.

Last time he saw these was the last day he was living here.

The massacre.

He placed his hands on the old and worn out wooden gates as he entered the slums for the first time in 6 years.

As he walked by, he got a rush of memories from seeing the old architecture of the village of the homes and walls.

There were two distinct buildings that stood out.

First, there was a police station.

Why they had a station, Alex didn't understand.

They rarely fixed anything and made issues worse.

Alex looked at one of its windows seeing large old blood spatter smearing it.

This building was the first he targeted after he took down the watch towers.

Another was an old cathedral/church like building that even during his time in the slums was always abandoned.

No one ever bothered taking it down so it was the oldest building in the slums while also being the only one not belonging to the slums.

Alex walked on and stood in front of the cathedral.

He took a deep breathe and walked in.

He surveyed the inside and saw him.

His father Akira sitting on the priest's chair at the podium in the middle.

Alex walked ahead stood right in front of him.

"How much can you see, with those eyes of yours?" Asked Akira.

"How much can I see with these? What I'm seeing right now, father, is an ending. Both of us dead, lying on the ground."

"You see us both dead?"

He sighed a little and then stood up.

"Well then."

In a flash, Alex felt a gust breeze past him as Akira was suddenly behind him.

"Go on. Make it happen."

Alex gave a small smirk, quickly transmuting a sword as Akira brought out a black rod.

They both attempted a punch but theit wrists collided.

Akira attempted to stab Alex with the black rod only for Alex to block it with his sword.

They both stayed in that position, staring at each other's red eyes.

Akira then separated and shot multiple black rods at Alex as he struck them all down and away, only for Akira to jump over him, placing a hand on his shoulder as he picked him up and slammed him back down.

The moment that happened, Alex snapped his fingers directly in her face.

A burst of fire lightly torched Akira's cheek as it got a 2nd degree burn as be backed away immediately.

"You got quick wits kid. Impressive."

"Look our behind ya."

Akira looked and saw a three pronged dagger.

"That better not be what I think-."

Akira was cut off as Alex suddenly emerged behind him and delivered a hard as possible punch to his 2nd Degree burnt cheek as it sent Akira crashing into a row of benches as dust flew up.

Alex picked up the dagger.

"Flying Thunder God Kunai. Shocked I have this?"

Alex walked up to where Akira laid until Truth suddenly spoke in his head.

"Alex back away!"

"ALMIGHTY PUSH!"

Just like that, Alex got ejected back.

Out of the cathedral and sent crashing through a house as it collasped on top of him.

Akira walked out of the cathedral wincing at the pain of his burn.

"Your making me do this kid! Just give up and accept your fate! No matter what you do, you can't beat m-!"

He saw electricity spark the ground and suddenly he got smacked by the stone ground as he gor launched into the cathedral's wall.

"Y-You, just never give up. Do ya kid?"

Slowly said Akira as from wreck of the house, an arm stuck out and slowly, Alex stood up from the wreckage.

Cloak tattered and blood dripping from his head.

"You, don't scare me you old man. Forget about us both dying. What I see now."

Alex held a closed fist out towards him.

"Is you dead on the ground!"

Akira smirked and then laughed loudly.

"Is that so!? You really think so!? To think, Bradley would pick you of all people to be his successor! Your nothing withour your precious Alchemy!"

"Alchemy is just an extension of a person's thoughts and emotions. Removing Alchemy doesn't make a human powerless. I'll reveal the truth to you."

He transmuted two swords from the ground and sighed softly.

"Hey, Father."

The two swords were slowly coated in flames thanks to help from Truth.

"It's showtime!"

Chapter 31: End