Chapter 3: Promise and a New Start

The arms from the Gate are ever so close to Sophitia have began to spread all over her form, and had enveloped her descending into the dark void through the entrance.

She hoped now there would be no regrets, and neither be tragedies to suffer. Sophitia's eyes grew with conviction knowing a new life would have her start all over, but how and at what price?

"I hope I made the right choice. Maybe it's for the better…at least for me…" Sophitia wondered.

With her eyes slightly closed, her mind now fixated on the memories she had of her former life. Strips of those memories have appeared all around her with voices, flashbacks, feelings…

xxxxx

Meanwhile Ed raced back to his room, took off his shoes and jacket as he went straight to bed. He closed his eyes to forget what had transpired in the library earlier. But his visions that were etched in him couldn't be erased.

He shook back and forth around his pillow to forget completely, but the mystery woman's ordeals within the visions could not be ignored.

"Why is this happening to me…who is this woman? I can't get over of her suffereing…" Ed whispered in agony as the visions were overwhelming him.

Suddenly a spark of light hit his mental state in his sleep. The dream ended too quickly.

The alchemist quickly got up and gasp a bit. And with his shocked eyes in a widened situation. It seemed the dream was all too real, and he has a feeling he knew the woman all too well.

Ed sunked his head and closed his eyes with his arms crossed. "That woman…she's suffered too much, much like how Rose did when I met her." He whispered.

He took a deep breath and headed back to sleep, wrapping himself whole with the blanket. Not worrying more of what happened in those dreams, he dozed off in silence.

A door suddenly creaked open. His brother Al looked around him on the bed. Patrolling any signs of trouble from the young blonde boy, but all was good.

"Brother, somehow something's bothering you. I guess I'll find out tomorrow then what they are." He said as he sat down on a chair beside him for the night.

xxxxx

"Hmmm…reminiscing the past? Take a good look of them because this will be the last time you'll see them." A voice said among the abyss.

Sophitia face sunk a bit of sadness to see these flashbacks go by fast, in fleeting seconds.

"Have I told you what the requirement is to live a second life for you?" The Gate said more.

"…" The blonde woman thought. Her eyes glimmered with the flowing memories she formerly had.

The abyss showed its face with a round smile. It was the same smile that was from the entrance. The entrance of "Truth" so to say.

"You'll have to give up memories of your past, woman." The gate whispered.

The woman frowned but kept her composure of the gate's ultimatum, and sternly looked at the vortex pulling her to an unknown destination.

"My memories?" Sophitia said.

"Yes, your past must be erased for you to start a new existence…will you accept?" The voice said.

"If I must…to forget the pain, regret, sadness and terrible things I did…and for my family…yes I accept." With this agreement, Sophitia frowned once more as the vortex stopped and flashed, having her unconscious to an unknown place.

The light now flashed and she woke up in a street with dark corners around her. She was the streets of Central as almost everyone retired for the night.

"Where am I…? I'm not in Ostrhreinsburg castle anymore. Pyrrha isn't with me any longer, much less of my family…" She said.

With questions to ask later, she struggled to move her feet and find shelter to get away from the cold environment as she didn't have enough clothing to cover her.

Sophitia's clothes show a bit much of her skin, yet didn't actually exposed her naked. The cold weather is much cruel to her and looked for anyone who would be kind enough to lend her much warmer blankets or clothes to suffice her.

Despite her searches around the city and with not much people around, Sophitia was losing her fight against the cold. Her clothes she was wearing wasn't enough to comfort her, the former holy warrior began to lose consciousness from the cold night.

Fatigue had left her in, as she fell aside near a garbage bin and some boxes. Luckily some torn rags were around to comfort her.

"Gods, I didn't deserve this…why? Forgive me…" Sophitia whispered. She was then knocked out from the crash she suffered. She slowly closed her eyes as she rested along the debris of boxes and torn clothing.

Moments later a group of thugs were wondering around the street, and quickly spotted the unconscious Sophitia. They were ecstatic to find a beautiful woman in these streets, which was pretty rare.

One of the men approached the resting Sophitia and smiled in the worst way.

"Say, we got ourselves a fine commodity here…" The thug said with a smile.

The other man stepped in and took a good look of the we woman. "Hehehe. Boys her taken to the car and wrap her up inside the trunk! She'll make a nice addition to our brothel business!" The man roared.

"Yes sir!" The hoodlums responded. They then took an unsuspecting Sophitia towards their van and wrapped her hands and feet, loading her into the trunk without her knowing of the danger she's heading into.

A/N: Took me awhile finishing this 3rd chapter. And this is no April Fool's here now. But I've finished and a break for a short while. Hope you enjoy and please review back if I were to write more here. Thanks!