Everyone knows that Ed doesn't like milk. People kept on urging him to drink milk so that he would grow tall just like Al although the fact that Al's taller because he is an armour. No one knew the reason why though. It's a secret that only he knows.
"Why didn't you drink your milk?" Winry asked but Ed just raised his shoulder and walked away. He doesn't like milk in fact he really hates it. If he were to choose between jumping off a cliff and take that white liquid, he would rather jump. There was one time when he was tricked by Al to drink that poison in school. He vomited and laid sick in bed for three days. Everyone was curious about his deep hatred towards milk. Even Al his one and only family member didn't know about it. He was not like that before but everything turned out different after one night...
Ed always sneaked out of their house in the middle of the night to go to the sacred well located deep inside the heart of the forest. There he would meet with his best friend Meika. She was one of the Ishbalans and a friendship with an Ishbalan is forbidden by the Elders. Meika has a long red hair with beautiful red eyes that are as bright as her hair colours. Ed first met her when he was lost in the forest. He was trying to find his way out when he saw Meika at the sacred well. She was trembling with fear when he saw Edward because Ishbalans are supposed to keep themselves invisible from the eyes of the villagers for fear that their whereabouts would be revealed. From that day onwards, their friendship bloomed.
"Hey! Have you been waiting long?" Ed asked.
Meika replied with a timid no and smiled. Then they continued with their every night's ritual where they would eat and have a small talk. It would always be about the same topic. What's happening in the outside world and what the Ishbalans always do. At times, when they have nothing else to say they would looked at the moon and the stars and enveloped themselves in the silent of the night. It was not an awkward silent but a comfortable one.
They had a small talk like always. However, the atmosphere that night was a bit different from before. It was quieter than usual. Ed knew that Meika felt it too because she kept on playing with her fingers but both of them did not voice it out and decided to ignore the feeling that kept on tugging their hearts. They wanted to be in each others' company a bit longer but somehow it felt unsafe so they packed up early and ready to get back home. Ed walked Meika back to the Ishbalans sanctuary like he always did. In about 100 metres from their destination, they stopped. A fire was blazing high up in the sky and it came from…
"No…" Meika ran as fast as she could and Ed followed suit. The sight in front of them was horrific. Cries and screams filled the atmosphere. The smell of smoke and fire wafting in the air. Bodies lay unmoving drowned in pools of blood and men wearing black mask killing the Ishbalans one by one without mercy. Seeing that Ed quickly took Meika's hand and brought her into the forest.
When they were far enough Ed stopped. No more screams and cries only the sound of their heavily breathing could be heard. Ed slowly turned towards Meika and hugged her. Only by then that her tears started streaming. It crushed his heart to see her crumbling self. Suddenly, a woman with a beautiful jet black hair appeared out of nowhere.
"Oh dear! What happenned?"
Ed was about to open her mouth but stopped when he saw what the woman was holding. An Ishbalan's head covered with blood with his eyes wide open.
"Why? Oh this?" The woman said innocently. Then she threw the head towards them and in a split second Ed was thrown away to the nearest tree. Meika was being strangled by the beautiful woman. Seeing the scene in front of him Ed took the nearest weapon; a bottle from a leftover milk that had been left by travelers. He smashed it and ran straight towards the woman with the jet black hair. Ed managed to stab her. Instead of a painful expression she only smiled and slowly pull the bottle out of her stomach. No blood was oozing out from her and the wound was closing. She played with the bottle in her hand and slashed Meika's throat with it. Ed screamed like a posessed person and blacked out.
After three days he woke up in his own bed with lifeless eyes. He was traumatized and no one said a word about the incident that happened to the Ishbalans. Ed was a strong person and he managed to pull himself together. Until now Ed still wonders who was the beautiful woman and the people in black mask. He was determined to find it out no matter what.