The Anime Zone
Chapter 1
Ed was surrounded in darkness. There was nothing around him, just empty dark space. Ed's mind raced as he tried to find the way out. There was no way out, it just lead to more emptiness. He cried out,
"HEY! AL! WHERE ARE YOU?"
He ran around, trying to find a path or some way out. He felt claustrophobic and panicky.
"AL, ANSWER ME!"
There was no answer.
Ed sat down, breathless from running around in circles. He was worried. Al was just next to him a moment ago, and now he was completely alone.
It could have been possible that he was trapped in the gate, but he didn't know why.
He tried to think back, to the moment where darkness surrounded him.
-
They had been walking through Central. Edward was hungry, and they were looking for a restaurant to eat at. There didn't seem to be a single one in the whole damn city.
"Ed, maybe we should just go to HQ. Colonel Mustang is waiting for us."
"The Colonel can kiss my ass, I'm starving."
"Maybe we can go over there."
He was pointing to a pub down the street. A drunken man suddenly stumbled out to the road from the pub. He yelled at the bartender.
"Well you know what? You're beer is crap. I could get more buzz… from."
He passed out.
Edward and Alphonse sweat dropped.
"On second thought, let's try somewhere closer to Headquarters."
"Good plan Al."
Ed moaned as they walked down the road to Central Headquarters. Suddenly, he noticed Al was gone. He looked around and saw Al in an alley. He went over to Al and said,
"Look, Al, I know you like cats and all, but for the last time, we can't-"
"Brother, look at this."
He was kneeling in front of some book in a pile of trash. Ed carefully took the book off the ground and read the title.
"Fullmetal Alchemist"
"What the hell?"
He opened the book. There was a picture of his arm being deconstructed by Scar. It wasn't a photograph though, it was a drawing. A very accurate drawing.
"What…?"
He flipped through the book more. There were drawings of him and Al performing the fatal transmutation, drawings of the military, drawings of the homunculi.
They were drawings of all the adventures the Elrics had gone through.
Ed and Al were shocked. Ed closed the book slowly. Al spoke quietly.
"Brother, what does it mean?"
"It means you two have seen too much."
They both looked up, startled.
A cloaked figure stood in front of them. It's voiced was cloaked in a strange way that sounded both male and female. They couldn't see it's face, only the red hooded cloak that draped almost every inch of its body.
The figure clapped its hands and touched the book.
Immediately, the book became a brilliant white light. Ed and Al had no idea what the figure was trying to transmute, and they stood frozen in place. Suddenly, Al cried out.
"Ed! The world's fading!"
Ed looked around wildly in fear. The world was indeed fading. The colors became blurred and the people disappeared. A darkness came and ate up the world. Ed and Al sat there shocked and horrified at such a sight.
Soon, there was nothing but blackness around them.
The book stopped glowing. The transmutation had stopped. The figure got up and took the book with it. It hid the book underneath its cloak. Then it got up and walked away.
Ed sat there absolutely mindless for a moment. He snapped back to reality when he heard his brother shout.
"BROTHER! It's taking me!"
He was referring to the darkness. It was swallowing him up, bit by bit. As the suit of armor sunk into the darkness, Ed grabbed his hand.
"I'm not letting you go this time, Al! Hang on!"
"Brother. I can't. It won't let me."
Ed felt Al's grip get weaker. Ed clasped harder. The pull of the darkness was stronger now.
"Damn it, Al! Stay with me!"
"Brother…"
The darkness made one final pull. Al was swept away into the darkness.
Ed felt his mind disconnect from his body. He fell to the ground on his side, his head wiped clean of thought.
As he was fading into unconsciousness, the darkness was swallowing him now. He gazed at the figure that was now fading away into the darkness as it walked forward. Ed sighed and closed his eyes, allowing the darkness to swallow him whole.
-
He finally awoke when a thought came to his mind.
Al.
He opened his eyes and sat up. Ed was surrounded in darkness.
-
As Ed pondered over these memories, he couldn't make any sense of them.
What was that book? Who was that figure? Where was he?
It's hopeless. He thought. I'm probably going to trapped here forever. I have no idea if I'm alive or dead. Maybe I am inside the gate, but it wasn't like this the first time I was inside...
He stopped thinking when he heard a noise. He looked around. There was no one around.
"Al? Is that you?"
Still no answer. But then the noise came back. It sounded like a footstep. No, footsteps. Ed tried to find out where the footsteps were coming from.
"HEY! Is there anyone out there?"
"Just me."
Ed felt a shiver go up his spine. The voice that answered back sounded exactly like his own voice.
A person came into view.
The person was a young man with wild purple hair. He wore black clothes with a black overcoat. But what Ed noticed most of all was that he looked… different. Different from any other person he would see in his world.
The man walked up towards Edward.
"I don't suppose you know where we are."
"…No. I was wondering the same thing."
The man froze. He looked at Ed like he was an alien.
"What?"
"You're…short."
Ed blew up.
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE COULD HIDE BEHIND A GRAIN OF RICE?"
"I didn't say that…"
Ed stopped himself and calmed down.
"Sorry, it's a natural reaction. Anyway, who are you?"
"I'm Dark. Dark Mousy."