Sorry I left you guys on a cliff hanger last chapter but I really don't like smashing my writing into long chapters. I'd rather have short chapters with detailed writing than long ones that leave out key parts. Normally when I write my chapters out I sit somewhere with the Shadow of the Colossus soundtrack playing and write out the whole chapter in one sitting. That may sound bad but this can take at the least an hour, at the most three hours of constant writing. And before that I write out a summary of the key parts I want to put into the chapter. I have a whole notebook dedicated to summaries for my stories.

Anyhow I'm beginning to ramble. I hope you like this chapter and I will see you in the next one!

Also, before I go, thanks for all the follows, favorites, and comments. I can't stress enough that these make me so happy. It's great to hear feedback and knowing that you guys are enjoying the story. So, again, thank you all so much!

:3

Chapter 21

Mustang felt as though he were slowly sinking into water. Truth was that he couldn't see anything so he couldn't be sure of this. All around him was pitch black; he couldn't even see his body through the darkness. A strange calm fell over him, almost accepting that this was how things were now. There was nothing he could do but slowly sink to the bottom of the dark pit around him.

As he was about to give into the grasp of whatever held him down, a bright golden light cut through the darkness. He tried to focus on it but a sudden drowsiness came over him. The colonel felt the darkness tighten its grasp and he slowly began to shut his eyes, letting it take him.

"Mustang…" A voice so soft and gentle snapped him out of it. The light was a few feet from him now, a pulsing orb whose light never faltered. He tried to speak but it felt as though there was a hand over his mouth. Now he could feel thousands of tiny hands all over his body, tugging on him in an attempt to pull him away from the light.

"You have to fight it…" The voice whispered urgently. Mustang began to pull against the dark tendrils that held him. He could feel their grip slipping as he struggled but it was hopeless, there was just too many.

"They can't take you if you don't want them to." The voice sounded stronger, filling him with determination. The colonel fought against the darkness, feeling one of his arms come free. The light was so close and he could feel warmth radiating from it, almost like a miniature sun. He stretched his hand forward and saw as the light pulled it in. Now there was a tugging from the orb's end, like a hand had grasped his own, helping him break free. The darkness slowly released him and golden light took over his vision.

Mustang gasped and stumbled as his feet touched the ground. The light slowly began to fade and he found himself back in his basement. A thick fog blanketed the room and he could only make out the closest edge of the circle. He tried to move forward, to see into the center, but something held him back. He looked down and felt horror course through him. On the ground by his feet he could make out his own body splayed on his side. Panic rose inside of him, what was going on? Am I…Am I…Dead?

"Not yet," A voice spoke from somewhere to his left. With a jolt he recognized the voice as the one from the light. Now it was clearer, louder, and he could tell who it belonged to.

Mustang turned his head and saw Ed standing beside him. No longer was he the twisted and dying chimera that the colonel had come to know. He stood there now back to his former glory, red cloak and golden hair pulled back into a braid. For a moment he was speechless as he took in the sight before him.

"Edward…What's happening?" He finally managed to sputter out. Ed looked at him and then the motionless body on the floor.

"The transmutation was so powerful that it tore your soul from your body. Your body is still alive but you must go back soon. Pay attention to what you are feeling. Can't you feel the tug of your spirit calling for you?" His voice was so calm, almost like this was an average conversation. The colonel focused and felt a strong tug that almost brought him to the ground, like his body was physically pulling at him.

"The same happened to you then?" He asked. Ed smiled sadly and shook his head, gaze returning to the colonel.

"My body couldn't handle the transmutation. You feel the tugging from your body? I don't feel that from mine."

"So you're…You…" The colonel couldn't bring himself to say it. Edward only nodded.

"You can only see me now because our minds are still connected. I can feel something different and foreign tugging at me. I don't know how much longer I can hold out; it's been getting stronger and stronger." He whispered sadly, lowering his head as a tear leaked from his eye. Another sudden, more powerful, jerk from his body forced the colonel to his knees.

"No! I won't go back without you!" He cried out, reaching towards Ed. His hand was suddenly forced down as he was pulled to his hands and knees. He struggled to stand, to break away from his body, but he was stuck to the ground. It felt as though a great weight was pressing on his shoulders and back, trying to force him to the ground.

"It's still not too late for me. I'll try to hold out a little longer." Edward whispered. He opened his mouth to say more but closed it and shook his head. The dense fog around them began to fade and he looked up to see Al kneeling beside him, blood splattered on his hands and knees.

"Colonel? Colonel, please wake up! Brother's not breathing!" He wailed as he shook Mustang's body. The tugging finally won and forced him to the ground. His vision began to cloud like it had before. The last thing he could see was Edward kneeling over him.

"Help him Mustang, whatever the future holds for me…Take care of him." Ed's voice echoed in his head as a bright white light blotted out everything around him.

I RARELY put notes down here but I feel, since I'm leaving you on another cliffhanger, that you deserve one. Originally this was to be paired with the chapter coming up but then it would have gotten too long and as stated above I don't like doing that.

All I can say is that if you want an answer as to Ed's fate, look back through some of my old stories. Hell it might even say it straight up in one of the author's notes. I won't give anything away about the next chapter but if you're really desperate to know just look at some of my older stories (you really don't know how hard it is for me to say that, since I don't even want to think about how horrible my writing style was back then, lol).

This is in no way me forcing you to read them. If you want to keep it a surprise then don't look at the old stories I have written. You're free to do whatever you please. I just thought I would throw this out there though.

See you all in the next chapter!