Ever since the civil war began their lives have been nothing but a brutal hell. Running and hiding from military guards, searching for what scraps of food were left, keeping each other safe through the harsh time in their lives. They didn't know if they would make it through the night, but they were going to do their best to try.
It all began when a military soldier shot a child. They say it was an accident, but it still caused outrage. That was when the civil war broke out. All the women and children were sent to the far side of Ishval to keep them away from the war. At first they only sent regular military soldiers. They outnumbered the Ishvalans, but they were strong. For a while it seemed that both sides were tied, and that this war would never end.
Until the Alchemists came.
King Bradley issued order 3066. State Alchemists were sent in to exterminate the rest of the Ishvalans. The Ishvalans didn't stand a chance against their alchemy. Everything around them was destroyed. The Ishvalans were losing. They were all dying. Not just the men fighting now. The elderly, women, even children, were being killed now. They were exterminating them like pests. Like they were just rats that Amestris needed to get rid of.
They tried to escape, but one of the alchemists, the Strong Arm Alchemist, put up a large wall around Ishval so nobody could escape. They were all trapped. Bodies of people who were desperate to escape were piled up against the sides of the walls. The Strong Armed Alchemist was sent away for attempting to help some of the women and children escape, but was eventually stopped.
Then there was fire.
It was like hellfire, destroying anything and anyone in its path. Ed and Al saw it once. They were hiding out in a building with other Ishvalans. It was by pure luck that Ed decided to leave just before it happened. They were walking away from the building when they heard a strange noise and turned back just in time to see the fire engulf the building and everyone in it. Some of the burning rubble landed close to them, causing Al to burn his arm, but other than that and some trauma they got out without any injuries.
Edward heard that some people were calling the alchemist who starts these fires a hero, but to him he was just a monster.
The alchemist that the two brothers feared the most was the one who caused the explosions. Ed actually saw the alchemist. He was grinning, a strange red stone in his mouth. That was the last thing he saw before the building he was in became nothing but rubble. That was when everything was ruined.
They've seen their fair share of death during the war, but no matter how much it hurt they kept going. They had a promise to keep.
—
They managed to find a mostly stable building to take shelter in. It was farther away from the fighting. Ed had the idea of fortifying the shelter to keep out the military guards. He lets out a grunt as he pushes the small dinner table against the door. It was a struggle, but he got it done. Ed looks over at his younger brother. "Should I move some more things in front of the door?"
Al looks over at Ed and frowns a bit. He was already doing more work than he needed to. Al knew that Ed wouldn't admit it, but he was having a hard time getting the hang of things now that he was missing an arm and leg. Luckily the nice doctors that saved his brother's life were able to make him a make-do prosthetic for his leg. It wasn't the best, he still had a hard time walking on the rough ground outside, but it was something.
"I could have done that myself. You should be resting.", Alphonse says in response. Ed frowns and glares at the ground. "I'm not useless you know!", he snaps back at Al. Al's eyes widen. "That's not what I was trying to say! I know you're not useless.", he explains. Al knew his brother was sensitive about his missing limbs. Ed was a very independent kid. A missing arm and a stick for a leg did not fit well for him. Ed moves away from the table and goes to sit on the floor, his back pressed against the wall. "Sorry…", Alphonse mutters, walking over to sit down next to him.
The house they were in was pretty small, but it was easy to patch up because of that. There was a living room and a kitchen with a small dining room. There was a door that led to the bathroom and bedroom. It was a cosy place for a war zone.
The two sit in silence for a while before Ed finally breaks the silence. "Ishvala isn't real", he mutters. That statement leaves Al stunned. "Brother! Why would you say something like that?", he asks. Ed turns to look at him. "How could all those dead man, women, and children deserve this?"
Al frowns. "Brother don't-"
"What did we do to deserve this…?"
"Ed-!"
Edward slams his hand on the ground, balling it up into an angry fist. "What did Mom do to deserve this?!"
Al grows silent. When Ed finally looks up his eyes widen seeing that his brother's eyes were watering with tears.
"Ah! Al I-I'm sorry I didn't mean to-"
"It's fine." Al says quickly.
The two brothers grew silent. Ed glares down, crossing his arms. Damnit. He should have known that saying something like that would hurt Alphonse. Ed shirts on the floor, using his arm and the wall to help in the process of standing up easier. Al stands up to help him the rest of the way. "I'm going to look for food or supplies", Ed says walking towards the exit, moving the wood away from a crack in the corner of the house. It was small enough for Ed and Al to crawl through but not big enough for a military soldier.
Al goes to follow him, but Ed was quick to stop him. "Stay here. I'll get back before it gets too dark.", Ed says to him. Al sighs stubbornly. "Brother. You shouldn't go out there by yourself." Ed could get hurt out there easier than Al could. He was missing an arm and leg! He couldn't exactly run if he ended up in danger. "I'll be fine. I'm your big brother, remember?", Ed says, smiling softly to reassure his little brother that he would be fine. Both of them knew that they would be lucky to find some food. They'd probably end up eating the leather off the boot of a military soldier to keep themselves from starving.
"I want to come with you.", Al says in response, crossing his arms. Ed looks at him with a frown. "No. Just.." Ed didn't want to lose the last of his family. Alphonse was the only one Edward had left. "Please don't follow me. You know what to do if you hear something suspicious outside.", Ed says to him. That was the last thing he said before he slips out into the war zone, leaving Al hoping that he will even survive long enough out there to get back.