When Edward and Alphonse found him, Edward described it as 'the neverending dream'. Envy wasn't dead – he was asleep. There were several theories about why he never woke up. Some said it was a kind of death for a homunculus. Some said he had a lot of rest to catch up with. Mustang's theory was that he enjoyed his memories and dreams more than real life.
Ed watched him sleeping in a hospital bed – the only place they could think of to put him. He was still alive in most senses of the word…
Ed put his hand over Envy's almost unconsciously, feeling the cold skin. The beat of the Red Stone was slower than a heartbeat. Under his eyelids, his eyes flickered from side to side, a sure sign that he was dreaming.
"I…I hope you found what you were looking for. I hope you can remember what it was like to be alive now, in your dreams." Ed refused to cry at the sheer injustice of what he understood about Envy. He was so vulnerable now, and once he'd seen Lyra's – Dante's – body lying there, he thought he knew why Envy had killed Winry. He knew Envy wouldn't ever wake up…but what he had found within the folds of her dress would stain his conscience his entire life.
He withdrew from his pocket a small shard of bone. "Sw-sweet dreams, Envy."
The shard of bone rested on Envy's forehead, and slowly sank into his skin, only a small bruise left of its passing.
The heartbeat stilled. A small smile appeared on the resting boy's face before he began to dissolve into red liquid. It disappeared into thin air, and all that was left was a small red stone, before that, too, crumbled.