***
The trip to Resembol was a long one. Since the state had officially announced Edward and Alphonse as wanted men, the two had to leave Central quickly and quietly. Escorted by some of Mustang's most trusted soldiers, the brothers left the city in two separate cars, although reluctantly. Edward was protected by Armstrong and Havoc while Alphonse was escorted by Fallman and Fury. The familiar faces were comforting, but even with the old friends along for the ride, not much was said as they sped across the country towards the enemy that awaited them. Edward spent much of his time staring out the window, refusing to make eye contact with anyone. He was mentally preparing himself for the battle ahead, and the other soldiers seemed to understand this. Alphonse was the exact opposite. When Fallman and Fury weren't looking he studied their faces, doing his best to engrave all of the features into his memory. It could be the last time he ever saw them.
About half way through the long drive, both of the Elric brothers' escorts encouraged them to get some sleep. "You'll need strength for the battle ahead," Havoc noted somberly. With a small sigh of agreement, Edward slumped down in the back seat and closed his eyes. "Try to get some sleep, kid," Fallman urged Alphonse. Leaning his head against the cool glass window, Alphonse reluctantly let his eyes slide shut. He was unable to fall asleep for some time though. Not because of the bumpiness of the road or the silent whispers of Fallman and Fury, but due to his own jumbled nerves and emotions. When both brothers had finally drifted off, they slept soundly. The mental exhaustion of their journey hit them hard, but not hard enough to where they couldn't dream…
Edward opened his eyes to darkness. He listened for any clues as to where he was, but it was as if the world had been put on mute. "Alhponse?" He yelled out questioningly. There was no response, and his words did not reverberate, but instead fell flat on his own ears. He began to walk, but the ground was completely smooth and he had no landmarks to tell him that he was making any progress. "Al?" Edward called faintly.
"Over here!" His brother's familiar voice responded ever so softly. Ed turned sharply to find Alphonse standing behind him with a smile on his face.
"Don't disappear on me like that. You scared me," Ed admonished him. Alphonse merely smiled and cocked his head like he hadn't heard him. Edward frowned in annoyance. "Are you even listening to me?" The elder brother asked. When Alphonse smiled next, it was with a mouth full of glistening fangs. Ed jerked backwards in alarm.
"Oh, I heard you Edward Elric," a voice that was not Al's responded.
"Who are you?" Edward muttered as he took a slow step backwards. Eyes shining brightly, the Alphonse imposter took a step forward to close the distance.
"Why, I am your little brother, Ed. Isn't it obvious? I have part of his soul. Therefore, he belongs to me." A bead of sweat formed on Edward's forehead. His eyes were locked on the monster before him. Slowly, without any prompting, the young boy was morphing into a hideous creature that blended in with the darkness around him. It was the same type of creature that had come out of the gate.
"You're the one that hurt Alphonse, aren't you?" Ed managed to ask.
"That's right, Edward Elric, and now I am coming for you." Before the Full Metal Alchemist could blink, the monster pounced, its wide mouth full of fangs open and ready to tear him limb from limb.
***
"AH!" Edward shouted as he sat bolt upright in the car. Havoc, who was driving, jumped in his seat, causing the vehicle to swerve.
"Shit, don't scare me like that!" Havoc barked. Edward gasped and looked around while trying to regain his composure.
"S-sorry all. Are we almost there?" The alchemist asked, changing the subject. Havoc nodded into the darkness beyond the headlights where several lights were burning in the distance.
"You're looking at Resembol right now," he explained. By now, Edward had his breathing under control, but he couldn't keep his heart from racing. Curling up against the window, he closed his eyes and silently scolded himself. He couldn't allow himself to get psyched out—not now.
"What the hell?!" Havoc suddenly yelped. Edward's eyes bolted open in time to see Havoc swerve to avoid a an overturned vehicle. Slamming on the breaks so that they stopped abruptly, Havoc threw open the door. He was already kneeling beside the wrecked car when Edward and Armstrong jumped out. "It's Fury and Fallman's!" Havoc announced in a stricken tone.
"What?" Edward said in disbelief. Running to the soldier's side, the alchemist also knelt to try and peer into the crushed carriage.
"Stand aside," Armstrong ordered in his deep voice. The two immediately moved out of the way as the officer grunted and strained to push the car into a standing position. It looked as if the top of the vehicle had been crushed from above, and all of the windows had been smashed. One door had been completely torn off and not one of the three passengers was anywhere to be found. A sick feeling turned Ed's stomach as he stood slowly to his feet.
"What could have happened?" Armstrong wondered in dismay. Instinctively, Edward turned in the direction of the forest and gazed into the darkness. He knew even without seeing that the monster from within the gate was staring back at him from somewhere in the forest.
"I'm sorry Havoc, Armstrong. We got you all mixed up in our mess and now you're paying for it. Please, stay here and look for Fury and Fallman." Gritting his teeth, the older of the Elric brothers began marching north in a bee line towards the forest.
"Where do you think you're going?" Havoc protested.
"I'm going to go kill the thing that took my brother," Edward declared. From the depths of black before him, Ed could have sworn that he heard a laugh.
***
When Alphonse jolted awake, he found himself in a cold sweat. He couldn't remember what his dream had been about, but he did remember the uneasy feeling that it invoked. Seeing that Al was awake, Fury turned around in his seat and smiled kindly. "We're almost there, Alphonse. Your brother's car should be right behind us so we'll be meeting up with them—
But Fury never finished his sentence. The conversation was interrupted by a sharp crash, followed by the collapse of the ceiling. The metal came so close to Al's face that he almost lost his nose. Before he could register what was going on, the boy felt himself being grabbed by a large, clawed hand. There was no time to scream or fight back. The monster that had attacked suddenly from above, flattening the car, jumped up and away with Alphonse Elric in his possession. One last glance at the ground gave Al a clear view of the military vehicle in shambles, overturned on the dirt path leading to the tiny country town of Resembol.
Finally, it sunk in. "Who are you? Let me go!" Alphonse screamed. "Fallman! Fury!"
"Silence, Alphonse Elric. Your screams will never reach them," The strange being hissed with the sound of a thousand voices.
"Y-you're from the gate!" Alphonse made it sound like a harsh accusation, but it only produced a chuckle from his captor.
"Perceptive human, aren't you?" Was this thing making a joke?
"Let me go! Why are you doing this? If you don't release me, my brother is going to come and kick your ass!" Alphonse growled. Quite suddenly, the beast turned its dark head to gaze down at the younger Elric. Smiling with malice, it said,
"Excellent. Let him come."
Alphonse's eyes widened at the creature's response as they flew from the sky down into the forest of Resembol. Squeezing Alphonse more tightly between its fingers, the monster from the gate sat back on its haunches and looked back in the direction they had come. The being's grip made it hard for Al to breathe, so instead he concentrated his energy on thinking of an escape plan. Nothing came to mind. After what had seemed like hours, the monster laughed abruptly, breaking the tense silence.
"What's so funny?" Alphonse spat. The dark beast lowered its head. For a moment, Alphonse's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Then, as his brother stepped into the clearing to be illuminated by the moon, he realized that it was bowing to Ed. A second later, the creature lifted its head again to meet Edward's eyes.
"I welcome you to hell, alchemist," it hissed. Clapping his hands together, Edward transmuted his favorite weapon, a spear, from the hard ground. Taking on a fighting stance, he spat at the monster's feet.
"Idiot. I don't believe in hell. However, I do believe in giving hell to those who mess with me or my brother. Now put him down and fight me you piece of shit!" With a roar of laughter, the beast threw the Full Heart Alchemist to the ground and leapt forward. The battle had begun.