Chapter 11

True reality is never what you think it is. Sometimes one reality is something completely different than what you previously perceived it to be. But often, the only reality that matters is the one you're living in right now. Nothing else matters. Nothing else exists but your reality. But were the boys in there true reality?

This question ran through Ed's and Al's minds consecutively, and each were attempting to place their own reality inside a single realm where things meant the most sense to them. But in this dark filled void, nothing made sense. Their minds were disembodied and their consciousness were meshed inside one mind. Ed's mind. Envy had beaten them and they were now trapped in a place where existence was questionable and life was an unending, irrefutable uncertainty. However, for the Elric brothers, this correlation of their minds gave them an unexpected advantage. They now had the power of one mind instead of two.

"Al?"

"Ed?"

"Where are we?"

"I don't know."

"How do we get out of here?"

"I don't know."

"This place frightens me."

"It frightens me, too."

"I want to go home."

"We can go anywhere you like, this is my mind."

"I know the perfect place, a place we used to play as kids."

"Let's concentrate together."


The sound of rushing water awoke them. They felt groggy, as if they had been subjected to a provoked and prolonged deep sleep. They lay on a rocky shore on the edge of a babbling brook surrounded by forest. It was a peaceful place, and where they used to catch bull frogs when they were kids. They had successfully managed to navigate through Ed's mind without Envy's interference.

But there was a question on each of their minds, the same in fact: Why weren't they dead? Each had died at the hands of Envy in a different way inside Ed's mind. Al by fire and Ed by way of a waking hallucination conjured by Envy. They discussed their experiences and came the same conclusion, Envy had tricked them.

"Then where is he, brother?" Al wondered.

Ed shrugged his shoulders and raised his eyebrows in an I-don't-know manner. "He's probably hiding deep in the recesses of my mind somewhere," he said. "But it's strange, I can't feel his presence. Before I could, but now… nothing."

"That's because the majority of his consciousness has left your mind and has traveled to someone else," Maes Hughes said, sitting on large, round stone off-set by the starting of grassy brush lining the stony shore. "While you to were distracted by Envy's tricks, he managed to elude you and shift the bulk of his essence to another host."

Ed was agape in shock. "What new host?" he said quickly. "Who is it?"

"I think you know," Hughes said. "To Envy, she was the next logical choice, seeing how Al dispelled you with an Alchemy binding spell rending you inoperable on that bed, and Al with his hands taped to your head, unable to move, to keep your still, preventing your head from thrashing around during one of your waking hallucinations, to evoke the Mind Meld technique to enter your mind. At some point, Winry touched one of you and Envy used that to channel into her body."

"You mean Envy is running around in the real world in Winry's body?" Ed said, his mind raced with so many twisted and sick things that Envy could do while in Winry's body. "We've gotta go and stop him!" He turned to Al and grabbed his shoulders in a desperate plea. Al jerked startled. "Al, we must leave my mind, and back go to the real world. Reverse the Mind Meld technique and wake us!"

Al nodded. "Okay," he said, never denying a desperate plea of this nature. Besides, even though Ed had never said it, Al knew Ed cared a lot more for Winry then he lead on. There was a strong connection between them that fell into a higher level of love. "We'll save Winry."

"Al, thanks for coming to help me," Ed said finally, and smiled at his brother.

"I'm your brother, Ed, that's what brother's do, they help each other in a crises," Al said. "You never relented to get my body back and I felt it was time to pay-it-forward. Call it even?" Al smiled, smirked.

"Deal," Ed said, and returned the smile. "Now let's go rescue Winry."

"Good luck, boys," Maes Hughes said. "It was nice seeing you again."

"Likewise," Ed said.

"Thanks for all your help, Brigadier General Hughes," Al said.

Hughes snorted a laugh. "My friend's call me, Hughes," he said, and then like a ghostly specter he disappeared before their very eyes, totally vanished.

However, the boys then heard his disembodied voice say, "Remember boys, reality is owned by the perceiver, make sure you see the light through the darkness."

They weren't too sure what Hughes meant by that, but they made a metal note.

Ed stood close to his brother and Al recited the Ishbalan chant he spoke to enter Ed's mind, and then, it was then that--

--they were transported and suddenly found themselves in the middle of an open-roof coliseum size arena in the middle of the afternoon under a hot blistering sun. The coliseum's construction was made of stone and there were seating room for thousands of people.

It reminded Ed of what one of his history teacher's had told him of the history of Ancient Rome and the large coliseum that stood to the testament of timein Italy, Rome. It was where the Romans threw slaves to die for sport against a bunch of hungry, vicious lions, or to be killed by Gladiators.

But why were they here?

He looked at Al. "Al, where the hell did you take us?" he said. "I thought you were taking us back to the real world."

"This is the real world, my friends," a familiar voice said to them. "I brought you here 'cause I haven't having finished havingfun with you yet."

Ed and Al immediately looked in the direction of the voice and saw Envy standing on the top of a stone column in the middle of the arena along with many.

"Reality is what you make of it, isn't that right, Edward?" Envy said.

"But how can you be here?" Ed wondered. "Hughes told us you transferred your consciousness to Winry."

"You'll never be rid of me, Ed," Envy said, winking at him. "I told you before, a part of me will forever be a part of you, and that will never change. What you see is merely an image of the last reminiscence of the Homunculi known to you as Envy."

"So you're not the real Envy, but a manifestation of him?" Al said.

"Correct," he said. "I am the part of Envy that will forever haunt you, Ed. You're stay a prisoner in your mind for as long as I wish. And there's not a damn thing you can do about it! I'll never allow you to return to your former lives. You're mine forever!"

And Envy laughed manically.

To be continued...