CHAPTER 5

Ed opened his eyes as his thoughts came rushing back into his head.

He was inside some sort of dome, and the walls were covered with hundreds of pictures of different landscapes. There were about twenty other people in the dome with him, all looking as dazed and confused as he was. He turned his head to see Haruhi standing right next to him. She was her rubbing her eyes and groaning.

"What the hell just happened?"

"I don't know. I guess all of our minds went blank for that moment. It was weird, but at the same time… incredible."

She looked up into Edward's face.

"Hey, you sound an awful lot like Tamaki senpai. Are you Edward Elric?"

"How'd you guess?"

"Winry told me about you. She and I found each other, and we started talking. She talked a lot about some guy named Edward who had a braid and was about a few inches shorter than her."

Edward grimaced for a moment, but then decided to hold back his spazz attack.

"Yeah, and Tamaki wouldn't stop yelling for you for hours. Something tells me that guy's an idiot."

"You have no idea."

The both laughed a little, but then Ed noticed Haruhi looking at him funny.

"What?"

"Not to be nosy or anything, but do you really have a metal arm? One that she made? She wouldn't stop blabbing about the hard work she put into it for hours."

Ed looked around cautiously. No one was looking at them. He pulled his right glove off and showed Haruhi his hand. She stared at it in amazement.

"Wow! I've never seen something like this. That's really cool, Ed."

Ed couldn't help but smirk a little. She hopefully didn't know what he went through to get that arm.

Suddenly, Edward heard that sound again. He looked up at the ceiling. The woman of light was floating down to the center of the dome. When she landed, she stopped shining.

Ed stood there in awe. The woman still seemed to be made of light, but soft, glowing light. She was draped in a white dress, with long and flowing brown hair. Ed saw her face and felt his heart stop.

"Mom…" He murmured.

The woman looked his way. Ed felt shivers go up his spine as she walked towards him, her dress flowing behind her. She outstretched her arm. Ed shut his eyes and tried not to be fooled. She placed her hand on his cheek.

Ed carefully opened his eyes. He saw his mother's face staring back, her large grey eyes illuminated by her moonlight skin.

"You see me as your mother. Don't you?"

Ed felt himself slowly nod.

She gave him a Mona Lisa smile.

"Everyone else sees me differently, usually as someone dear to them who has died."

She turned to Haruhi, who Ed saw had tears brimming from her large brown eyes.

The woman smiled and walked towards her.

"Like you, Haruhi. You see me as your mother. Don't you?"

Haruhi nodded and let the woman wrap her arms around her. She took Haruhi in a sweet embrace, the most protective and motherly embrace Edward had ever seen. However, he could still see his mother's face on her. The woman looked down at Haruhi's face and gave a sad smile.

"I'm sorry, but I am not your mother."

Haruhi stifled a sob as the woman walked away from her. She walked back towards the center of the room.

"I'm sorry that you are all here. I can sense all of your sadness. You should all be in your own worlds, yet you were all brought here by trickery."

She outstretched her arm towards the walls of the dome.

"This is Anime Zone, where all anime worlds in the Realm of Animation are kept."

Ed was incredibly confused.

"Each one of those pictures is a portal to a different world. These portals are how I watch over you all."

She rested her arm on her chest.

"I am Megami, the muse of anime. I am the one who gave your creators the ideas to create you and your worlds. I am also the watcher and protector of these worlds, making sure that no harm come to you-"

"Wait a minute!"

Ed was the one who had called out. He was now disenchanted.

"What the hell is anime?"

"YOU MEAN YOU HONESTLY DON'T KNOW?!"

Everyone turned their heads to a short girl with long blue hair and green eyes. To Ed, she seemed more unreal than any other person he met that day.

"Anime is animation created in Japan. There are hundreds of series that are popular all around the world. In fact, didn't I see someone cosplay as you the other day?"

Ed was sure she was crazy. However, Megami spoke up again.

"That is correct, Konata Izumi. Each one of you is from a different anime. I gave your creators ideas and help them create each of your worlds. I am their muse, you are there creations."

Everyone who stood in that room was stunned.

"So… Basically you're saying… We're not real?"

Ed felt this comment shatter his thoughts. He couldn't believe it. How could he be just a creation? He was a human. He wasn't just part of something called an anime.

Megami sighed sadly.

"You are all real, but only in the Realm of Imagination. These creators create you and your worlds, and develop your life stories. Those stories are read all around the world, and as long as you are still in the minds of your creators and your readers, you exist."

She waved her arm towards the walls once more.

"Each of these portals contains a world created by the imagination of the creator and the readers. You live out your lives, I record them and send them to your creators as ideas. Your creator draws them out, and you live on. However, do you notice that some of these portals are blank?"

Ed looked closer. Some portals were indeed blacked out, but only a few of them.

"Those are your worlds."

Everyone was aghast. A boy with dog-ears and a red jumpsuit yelled out to Megami.

"Wait, so now our worlds are gone forever? How?"

"Do any of you remember the books?"

Suddenly, the book came back to Edward's mind. He looked around, and everyone else was wearing an expression of realization.

"As I have witnessed, each of you found a book that documented your life and the lives of your friends."

She titled her head to the floor.

"Those books were my idea books. Every time I witnessed more of your adventures, I drew them into those books. There is one book for each anime. Those books were meant to be kept in my possession, yet some of them were stolen and placed into your worlds so each of you would find them."

She looked up at the crowd's faces.

"Those books were never meant to reach your eyes. The minute you know of your true existence, your worlds simply can't exist anymore. That's why you were all transported to this place, this negative space we call the Anime Zone. The only way you can be brought back is by finding the books and bringing them back to me, or else you'll forever be wandering in the Anime Zone."

Ed then remembered the cloaked figure.

"Wait! When I found the book, there was a cloaked figure who did some sort of alchemy on the book, and then that's when my world was covered in darkness."

Megami's eyes widened.

"The cloaked figure…did it have a red cloak on?"

Edward nodded.

Megami gasped.

"A museling."

"What?"

"A museling, or a servant to a muse. Every muse has muselings to help them out when recording ideas. One of my muselings must have betrayed me and make sure you wound up here-"

Suddenly she cried out.

"Another world is fading!"

She pointed to one of the portals on the wall. It had the title "Wolf's Rain" underneath it. It was a picture of a grey and dismal post-apocalyptic city. It was fading into black. Megami bowed her head as the landscape faded away.

"The museling is still at it. By this rate, it'll destroy every anime world."

"But wait, can't you do anything about it?"

She gave Edward a look of utter helplessness.

"No, unfortunately. I have to always be here, watching over the worlds that still remain. That's why I need your help, since you all have the ability to go into whatever world you wish. If you find the one who has betrayed me, then you will find the books, and when you find the books, you can all go home."

"But we don't even know where it is. We don't know ho to find the books."

You may leave that to me. I can see which worlds the museling will attack next, so I'm going to have to ask that you form groups and go into different worlds. I'll bring you back if you're in danger."

They all stared at her, wondering whether or not to take on this quest.

"Please, don't do this for me, do it for your worlds. Everyone outside of this dome is counting on you to bring them home. When you bring the books back to me, order will be restored. Without the books, I can't give your creators their ideas, and your worlds will cease to exist."

Ed pondered over this thought. He could never let that happen to Al, Winry, or even Mustang. He couldn't let that happen to any person he had met so far. He wanted to go home, and he wanted everything to be the way it was. He stepped towards Megami.

"We'll take care of it. We'll find the bastard who sent us here, and we'll bring back the books. Could you just… Give us time to tell our friends what's going on?"

She shook her head.

"Telling them of their true existence will only increase their suffering. They will all believe they are living a lie. You must all go with each other. However, I will give you the opportunity to say goodbye."

Ed sighed.

"That'll do fine for me."

The boy with spiky orange hair stood forward.

"Same for me. I wanna get out of this hellhole."

The boy with the straw hat and huge grin also stepped forward.

"Sure! I'll do anything to make sure my crew gets home!"

Everyone shouted and cheered.

Megami smiled.

"Thank you all. I promise you that you will all make it home. I will find out where the museling is striking next, and give you all time to say goodbye."

Edward smiled and suddenly felt himself sink through the floor.

Everyone was sinking through the floor, like quicksand.

Ed looked up and saw Megami's smiling face. He felt as though she was his mother in that moment.

"Trisha told me to tell you boys that she loves you."

Ed stifled a breath. He felt single tear roll down his face as the light took him in once more.