❝ tuck me in to where there's bleeding ❞
WHO: Edward Elric [ohshitnotmilk], Alphonse Elric [armored_alchemy], Winry Rockbell [wrenchly]
WHAT: Ed's nightmare.
WHERE: A random back alley.
WHEN: The middle of the night.
"Look! His equations!
"I don't understand the details, but there's stuff about human transmutation written here. If we can decipher this..."
Some sort of lab. There were beakers and strange contraptions set up along the wooden counters and tables around the room. There were bookshelves, suits of armor. It was dark outside and the cement floor was cold against his bare knees as he sat on the floor, his fathers books strewn out all over the floor around him and Al.
His fathers books.
It was Hohenheim's study.
"But it says here that human transmutation is forbidden."
That voice of reason, also known as his younger brother.
"Anyone would be glad to see a dead person come back to life!"
Of course they would, right? It made perfect sense. If a loved one died, you'd be thrilled to see them alive again, wouldn't you? How could something such as bringing the dead back to life, something so great, be such a taboo? It would take a lot of studying and learning, but they'd figure it out. Granny had said they were so great at Alchemy because they were his children... If there was something his Father couldn't do, then he'd definitely do it.
"Everyone who tried it has failed, so the adults banned it out of spite. If you, Mom and I can live a happy life again, I'm sure Mom would love it, too."
It was a dream. It always was. Those memories of Al and himself in their Fathers study, staying up to late hours in low-lit rooms with nothing but lanterns for lights. But he'd never dreamed about it so vividly. Like it was so real. It was always hazy, never so clear. Sometimes the voices were missing or he could only here the voices, but he knew what was happening.
It was something that was hard to forget.
The dream began to twist. Slowly at first, before it quickly warped into a nightmare.
"Water, 35 liters. Carbon, 25 kilograms. Ammonia, 4 liters. Lime, 1.5 Kilograms..."
The list went on. Together, Ed and Al voiced out their ingredients, making sure everything was perfect. Making sure there was not a single millimeter or gram off. They'd drawn the transmutation circle in chalk around the large, but shallow, barrel full of the various ingredients they'd read off.
"Brother, will this work?"
He's looking at Ed, now, his palms facing out and his fingers spread out wide. It's obvious Ed's the more determined one. The more confident.
"It's too late for that, Al."
Except it wasn't. They could have walked away. Could have. But didn't.
"But alchemy is done via equivalent trade, right? We have the ingredients for the body, but what are we going to use to transmute into Mom's spirit?"
Ed looked at Al, his lips twisted down in a small frown.
"Stick out your finger."
A knife. He cut his own finger, drawing blood. Then Al's. A drop of blood from each finger hit the pile of ingredients.
"This is the souls... information. This should be it."
Ed looked over at Al, frowning heavily.
"Let's do this, Al."
And then Ed was drawing the last few touches in chalk to the transmutation circle. The boys looked at each other, and few words were exchanged before they commenced the act. There was the clap of hands, and then the study was illuminated by the bright light of gold energy. Wind whipped around the room from the energy, and everything was going fine.
Their Mother would be back. They'd be happy again.
And then the room grew dark. Immediately, Ed and Al's grinning faces changed to a confused horror. Ed whipped his head back to look around the room. Glasses were shattering and things were falling to the floor.
"Brother, something's wrong!"
No, No. It couldn't be wrong. This couldn't be wrong. They'd worked so hard, what was happening?! Then there was the deafening scream from Al. Ed turned his head quickly, his eyes widening in horror as he watched as his brother was slowly ripped apart by a bright red energy.
He screamed. "Al!" Moving quick, he reached out to grab his brother. The dark light of the energy, the wind -- it was continuing around them. It wouldn't stop.
When he looked down, there were black tendrils and a bright white light on his leg. They were pulling it away, ripping it off. He didn't have any time to think coherently, nothing but horror in his expression and mind.
"Brother! BROTHER!"
He turned again, throwing his hand out to grab his brother. But he missed, and the last he saw of his brother was the horrified, frightened look on his face as he decomposed. His own leg had been ripped off -- decomposed and disappeared just like Al had.
"Al..! Al! Alphonse!"
But no matter how much he yelled, nothing answered. There was a disturbing, sickening silence.
"Damn it, this can't be happening..." Stagnant energy, left over from the transmutation, flickered up in the smoke. "This wasn't how it was supposed to turn out... Damn it!
"It took my leg!"
There was blood everywhere, and all he could do was crouch on the ground as he grasped his leg. But there was a hopeful look as Ed lifted his head, looking towards the center of the transmutation circle. "Mom.." There was an arm moving among the smoke and Ed's breath caught in his throat. They'd done it. They'd really done it.
But no -- there was a beating, red mass and tangled limbs all over the place. It made no sense. It's head was thrown back, and just the sight of it made Ed feel sick to his stomach. No, no, no!
He turned his head, searching for his Brother. But he was gone. There was nothing left but the clothes he'd been wearing. Ed acted on impulse, knocking down one of the suits of armor. The head was knocked down, and in his own blood he drew another transmutation circle inside the armor. "A-Al..." He gasped out.
And then there was his arm, decomposing, being ripped apart by those black tendrils again. He screamed, grasping at the bloody flesh where there used to be an arm.
He was jolted awake by the pain. Almost immediately, there was a loud scream -- one to send shivers down someone's spine; full of nothing but pain and horror.
The sight was enough to make grown men fall to their knees and empty the contents of their stomachs. Edward Elric was leaned back on a wall in the dark alley. There was no light except from the night sky, and it did little to illuminate much. But there was enough to see that there was blood everywhere. Smeared across Ed's face, soaking his hair and his clothes. All over the ground, the wall.
There was a mangled heap of a body about five feet away from Ed. It was covered in blood as well. What was visible of it's skin was pearly white. Brown skin. Glowing bright red eyes. It's mouth was open as it wheezed every breath with each beat of it's disgusting, red heart that protruded out of it's chest. It was hardly recognizable as human.
Ed's flesh hand came up to grasp at the lack of automail port on his right shoulder. No, no -- He tried to move his leg, but he couldn't. It wasn't there.
His eyes were wide with horror as he looked down the alley, and his eyes fell on the body of the ... could you even call it human? The thing. It was such a familiar sight to him. So familiar, so unwanted.
Another scream left Ed's throat, loud and full of the pain of his missing limbs and the agony and fear of seeing that thing again. He tried to scoot away from it, along the wall as he trailed blood along, but he didn't get far before he fell to the side with a choked sob as his hand slammed down to the journal, his face pressed into the cold cement as he screamed again.
No, no, No! What had he done? What had he done? He couldn't think coherently.
"Alphonse! ALPHONSE!"
WHAT: Ed's nightmare.
WHERE: A random back alley.
WHEN: The middle of the night.
"Look! His equations!
"I don't understand the details, but there's stuff about human transmutation written here. If we can decipher this..."
Some sort of lab. There were beakers and strange contraptions set up along the wooden counters and tables around the room. There were bookshelves, suits of armor. It was dark outside and the cement floor was cold against his bare knees as he sat on the floor, his fathers books strewn out all over the floor around him and Al.
His fathers books.
It was Hohenheim's study.
"But it says here that human transmutation is forbidden."
That voice of reason, also known as his younger brother.
"Anyone would be glad to see a dead person come back to life!"
Of course they would, right? It made perfect sense. If a loved one died, you'd be thrilled to see them alive again, wouldn't you? How could something such as bringing the dead back to life, something so great, be such a taboo? It would take a lot of studying and learning, but they'd figure it out. Granny had said they were so great at Alchemy because they were his children... If there was something his Father couldn't do, then he'd definitely do it.
"Everyone who tried it has failed, so the adults banned it out of spite. If you, Mom and I can live a happy life again, I'm sure Mom would love it, too."
It was a dream. It always was. Those memories of Al and himself in their Fathers study, staying up to late hours in low-lit rooms with nothing but lanterns for lights. But he'd never dreamed about it so vividly. Like it was so real. It was always hazy, never so clear. Sometimes the voices were missing or he could only here the voices, but he knew what was happening.
It was something that was hard to forget.
The dream began to twist. Slowly at first, before it quickly warped into a nightmare.
"Water, 35 liters. Carbon, 25 kilograms. Ammonia, 4 liters. Lime, 1.5 Kilograms..."
The list went on. Together, Ed and Al voiced out their ingredients, making sure everything was perfect. Making sure there was not a single millimeter or gram off. They'd drawn the transmutation circle in chalk around the large, but shallow, barrel full of the various ingredients they'd read off.
"Brother, will this work?"
He's looking at Ed, now, his palms facing out and his fingers spread out wide. It's obvious Ed's the more determined one. The more confident.
"It's too late for that, Al."
Except it wasn't. They could have walked away. Could have. But didn't.
"But alchemy is done via equivalent trade, right? We have the ingredients for the body, but what are we going to use to transmute into Mom's spirit?"
Ed looked at Al, his lips twisted down in a small frown.
"Stick out your finger."
A knife. He cut his own finger, drawing blood. Then Al's. A drop of blood from each finger hit the pile of ingredients.
"This is the souls... information. This should be it."
Ed looked over at Al, frowning heavily.
"Let's do this, Al."
And then Ed was drawing the last few touches in chalk to the transmutation circle. The boys looked at each other, and few words were exchanged before they commenced the act. There was the clap of hands, and then the study was illuminated by the bright light of gold energy. Wind whipped around the room from the energy, and everything was going fine.
Their Mother would be back. They'd be happy again.
And then the room grew dark. Immediately, Ed and Al's grinning faces changed to a confused horror. Ed whipped his head back to look around the room. Glasses were shattering and things were falling to the floor.
"Brother, something's wrong!"
No, No. It couldn't be wrong. This couldn't be wrong. They'd worked so hard, what was happening?! Then there was the deafening scream from Al. Ed turned his head quickly, his eyes widening in horror as he watched as his brother was slowly ripped apart by a bright red energy.
He screamed. "Al!" Moving quick, he reached out to grab his brother. The dark light of the energy, the wind -- it was continuing around them. It wouldn't stop.
When he looked down, there were black tendrils and a bright white light on his leg. They were pulling it away, ripping it off. He didn't have any time to think coherently, nothing but horror in his expression and mind.
"Brother! BROTHER!"
He turned again, throwing his hand out to grab his brother. But he missed, and the last he saw of his brother was the horrified, frightened look on his face as he decomposed. His own leg had been ripped off -- decomposed and disappeared just like Al had.
"Al..! Al! Alphonse!"
But no matter how much he yelled, nothing answered. There was a disturbing, sickening silence.
"Damn it, this can't be happening..." Stagnant energy, left over from the transmutation, flickered up in the smoke. "This wasn't how it was supposed to turn out... Damn it!
"It took my leg!"
There was blood everywhere, and all he could do was crouch on the ground as he grasped his leg. But there was a hopeful look as Ed lifted his head, looking towards the center of the transmutation circle. "Mom.." There was an arm moving among the smoke and Ed's breath caught in his throat. They'd done it. They'd really done it.
But no -- there was a beating, red mass and tangled limbs all over the place. It made no sense. It's head was thrown back, and just the sight of it made Ed feel sick to his stomach. No, no, no!
He turned his head, searching for his Brother. But he was gone. There was nothing left but the clothes he'd been wearing. Ed acted on impulse, knocking down one of the suits of armor. The head was knocked down, and in his own blood he drew another transmutation circle inside the armor. "A-Al..." He gasped out.
And then there was his arm, decomposing, being ripped apart by those black tendrils again. He screamed, grasping at the bloody flesh where there used to be an arm.
He was jolted awake by the pain. Almost immediately, there was a loud scream -- one to send shivers down someone's spine; full of nothing but pain and horror.
The sight was enough to make grown men fall to their knees and empty the contents of their stomachs. Edward Elric was leaned back on a wall in the dark alley. There was no light except from the night sky, and it did little to illuminate much. But there was enough to see that there was blood everywhere. Smeared across Ed's face, soaking his hair and his clothes. All over the ground, the wall.
There was a mangled heap of a body about five feet away from Ed. It was covered in blood as well. What was visible of it's skin was pearly white. Brown skin. Glowing bright red eyes. It's mouth was open as it wheezed every breath with each beat of it's disgusting, red heart that protruded out of it's chest. It was hardly recognizable as human.
Ed's flesh hand came up to grasp at the lack of automail port on his right shoulder. No, no -- He tried to move his leg, but he couldn't. It wasn't there.
His eyes were wide with horror as he looked down the alley, and his eyes fell on the body of the ... could you even call it human? The thing. It was such a familiar sight to him. So familiar, so unwanted.
Another scream left Ed's throat, loud and full of the pain of his missing limbs and the agony and fear of seeing that thing again. He tried to scoot away from it, along the wall as he trailed blood along, but he didn't get far before he fell to the side with a choked sob as his hand slammed down to the journal, his face pressed into the cold cement as he screamed again.
No, no, No! What had he done? What had he done? He couldn't think coherently.
"Alphonse! ALPHONSE!"