Fate Changer
The night sky was black, velvet infinity sprinkled with jewel stars. Unlike other, greater cities, Dublith was silent, men and beast having long left the street. In the Curtis' house, Edward Elric was asleep. Alphonse Elric was not.
His armored body didn't let him sleep, but even if he could he would not allow himself to rest. Not tonight. The day's events were too fresh in his mind. Closing his non-existent eyes would bring nightmares, and nightmare meant screaming and waking Edward up. His brother had two bodies to support and needed the rest. So sleep would never have been an option.
He could still feel the unfelt weight of Martel's body inside of him, hear her echoing voice filling him. As strange as it was at first, her presence had been reassuring when there was gunfire and screams and when the whole world went to hell. The situation was even starting to get comfortable.
He tried his best, but he could not block the thoughts of Martel. He had liked her. He had found himself thinking that she was pretty and that her voice was lovely, and he had meant to tell her when the fight was over. He'd never get the chance now. The blood filling him had almost felt warm. The body had definitely been cold.
Would there be a funeral? He hadn't thought to ask. Perhaps he could bring her flowers. He wished they had time to talk more, wished he had time to ask her whether she preferred sunflowers or lilies. He wished he had asked were they would bury her body, a living, breathing body inside his own but that was not his.
He did not remember being opened and emptied. As a matter of fact, he remembered nothing of the few hours between her death and returning to Izumi's house. Ed had said he was in a state of shock. He might have been but he knew that the flow of memories he had received also had something to do with it.
The thing that had called itself Truth had shown him a lot more than he had told his brother. He had seen great alchemy, creations from times and spaces that had been forgotten by all. He had witnessed the rise and fall of worlds and dimensions that weren't his. He had also seen the future. One of their own possible futures.
He knew what could happen, step by step, and he knew the consequences. He would get his body back, but was it truly worth the pain to come? He wasn't so selfish. Or maybe he was, but not enough to bring so many hardships to his brother. He didn't know which was the case and didn't truly care. He would keep the time bomb armor that could reject him at any time and forsake the perfect body made of flesh and death. He would not put himself above others. He would find another way.
The sky was lighter, velvet infinity sprinkled with fading stars. Like many others, Dublith was stirring, men and beasts leaving their homes to start the day. In the Curtis' house, Edward Elric was still asleep. Alphonse Elric was rewriting the future.